Blood of the Pharaoh - 1st Draft
by AnimeJunkee
Summary: Yugi only wants his life to return to normal, but instead he must find out the ancient secret behind the once great Pharaoh while trying to survive. [Based on Blood Plus / AU / Rated M for Violence and Gore]
1. Chapter 1

_Yu-Gi-Oh!_ © Kazuki Takahashi

 _Blood+_ © Production I.G / Animax

 **This work of fiction is for non-profit entertainment purposes only, and the characters and plot all belong to their respective owners.**

 **If any of the original owners are against fanfiction that contain their creations, please let me know and I will remove this story from this and all sites.**

* * *

 **This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Explicit violence and gore.

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: Porn is mildly mentioned.

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 11/20/2015**

 _Edited it a little bit._

 _Warning: This is a 1st draft, which means that it's far from perfect. Once I have completed the story, it will be entirely re-written for the 2nd draft._

* * *

 _She remained motionless as Monsters tore her village apart._

 _One that had no skin, exposing its skeletal structure and muscle tissue, and resembled a demon with its horns and bat-like wings grabbed her neighbor with clawed hands, shooting volts of electricity into him. The man let out a bloodcurdling scream, which was drowned out by everyone else's as his head thrashed from side-to-side. His eyes melted and cascaded down his gaunt face like thick tears as his dark skin formed grotesque blisters that burst at random intervals, releasing a spray of blood and puss that shot out of his body like arrows from a bow. Not long after that, the man went limp. When the Monster saw that he was dead, it opened its mouth, dug its teeth into the corpse's arm, and ripped off the flesh from the bone._

 _A little boy with a missing tooth - whom she had played with many times in the past - tried to run to the desert, hoping that the blazing sun and sea of sand would be more forgiving. But before he could reach the possible safe haven, a shadow appeared over the boy and a giant stone hand came crashing down on top of him. When the rock creature walked off in search of another victim, the girl stared at her friend. His head was cracked open, gray brain matter mixing with the blood covered sand. His limbs were at unnatural angles, bones broken free and jutting out of their vessel; one of which was pointing towards the clear blue skies, as if it were asking the gods how they could sit up there in the heavens and watch this happen to their people below their feet._

 _There was a loud screech before she saw a mother run from the noise while carrying a squirming baby, who was trying desperately to escape from the confines of its blanket. When the mother turned her head to see if they were being pursued, she stepped on the boy's broken carcass and fell to the ground, her child still clutched tightly in her arms. When she tried to get back on her feet, the woman and her infant were lifted off of the ground and the mother watched in terror as the villagers and Monsters became smaller and smaller with each passing second. She was being taken high up into the air by a reddish purple dragon with a chain around its neck and a head ornament with blue gemstones. The woman and her child both cried out as a group of harpies surrounded the two. One pried the baby from its mother's grasp and let the blanket fall to the ground below as she licked her lips, impatient to sink her teeth into the infant's frail body. Another harpy screeched in protest and tried to grab the child away from her sister before the rest of them joined the foray. In a matter of seconds the baby was torn apart and devoured. The woman wailed and tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched her child's blood drip down the chins of the harpies until the dragon placed the mother's head inside its gaping mouth and tore it clean off of her neck, leaving a bloody stump._

 _And still the little girl couldn't move. She didn't even feel afraid. In fact, she didn't feel anything. It was as if her soul had left the land of the living, leaving behind an empty shell that could only observe her surroundings. Maybe it was the shock. If it was, the Monsters were not the cause of it. It was the betrayal._

 _As the unearthly creatures continued the slaughter, they were assisted by a sixteen-year-old boy. His purple, black, and blond hair turned red as the blood from the mother fell down on top of him like crimson rain. The dark magenta cloak that he wore was tattered from when an elderly woman had grabbed onto it, begging the boy to save them from the bloodthirsty creatures. But instead of helping her, he had drawn his blade and sliced her clean in half, cutting off a portion of his cloak in the process, and he had watched in silence as the old woman's intestines spilled out in a jumbled heap. Sunlight reflected off of his golden crown when he turned his head, his purple eyes staring into the little girl's brown ones before he began to walk straight towards her. The girl's brain finally came back to life and told her to run, even though she knew that doing so would be suicide, but all she could do was stand there as her legs trembled. The once great pharaoh of Egypt stopped when he reached her, his blank expression hiding all emotion._

 _When the little girl opened her mouth to beg for him to spare her, she heard a low growl come from behind. Teeth cut into her sides like knives and she was dragged back into her home, where smaller Monsters were feasting upon hunks of various limbs that were her parents. The last thing she saw was the Pharaoh, standing in her doorway as Monsters gathered around him._

* * *

Yugi Mutou snapped back into consciousness when his body collided with the hard wooden floor. It had happened again. Whenever he had that dream, he always tossed and turned until he rolled off of his bed. Or at least, Yugi assumed that it was always the same dream. He couldn't be sure because he was never able to remember it. Not visually, anyway. When he had that dream, he always felt uneasy; like he was supposed to remember a distant memory that was long forgotten. The short boy picked himself up and shrugged it off with a yawn right when his alarm clock began to ring. After turning it off, Yugi sluggishly made his way downstairs, not caring that his multicolored hair was in every direction or that his pajama top was only halfway buttoned up. Until he saw who was waiting for him.

"Good morning, Yugi!" A short haired brunette wearing a school uniform said with a cheerful smile when she saw her friend.

"A-Anzu!" Her sudden appearance made Yugi notice how he looked and frantically began trying to put his hair back to its usual star shape.

Anzu tried not to laugh at his feeble attempt to make himself more presentable. "You don't have to make a fuss. We've known each other since Elementary School, after all."

"Yeah, but-"

"So you're finally awake." His grandfather, Sugoroku Mutou, said as he placed a puzzle box on a shelf. "It isn't polite to keep a girl waiting."

"I wasn't asleep that long." Yugi said defensively. After all, he had woken up right before his alarm clock rang.

He gave his grandson a wink, letting him know that he was just messing with him, and Yugi smiled and nodded in understanding before getting ready for school. It didn't take long for Yugi to change into his school uniform and make some toast to eat on their way to school; and before he knew it he was walking alongside his friend while munching on the piece of buttered bread, the occasional crumb breaking free to land on the sidewalk where ants would most likely gather later that day to carry them off to their colonies.

"Are you okay, Yugi?"

"Wuh?" Yugi asked through a mouthful of toast.

"You look like you haven't been getting much sleep lately."

Yugi swallowed his food. "Yeah. I've been having this dream."

"A dream? What kind of dream?"

"I'm not sure. I just know that it's important."

"An important dream . . ." Anzu thought about it before shrugging. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're great at that."

"Dreams aren't the same as puzzles. And how can I figure it out when I can't even remember it?"

Anzu saw that it was bugging him and gave her friend an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, Yugi. Everything will work out."

"I sure hope so."

* * *

"Over here, Yug!" Katsuya Jonouchi, one of Yugi's classmates and close friends who had blond hair and a constant grin that made some question his intelligence, called out from his desk when the spiky haired boy entered their classroom.

"Hi, guys."

"You look terrible." Hiroto Honda, another friend and classmate with brown hair and strong features who was almost always with Jonouchi, told him frankly.

"So you noticed too, huh?" Anzu leaned against her desk. "He's been having trouble sleeping."

"Why?" Jonouchi looked at Yugi. "Are ya bein' bullied again? If so," he held up his fist, "me an' Honda will clobber 'em for ya!"

"It's not that!" Yugi said quickly before explaining about the dream he couldn't remember.

"Weird." Honda said.

"It's just a dream, Yug." Jonouchi said dismissively. "It's probably nothin'."

When Anzu saw the look on Yugi's face, she hit Jonouchi's arm with her elbow.

"What was that for?!" He asked as he rubbed his sore limb.

She didn't get the chance to answer because a fellow student with long white hair and a gentle smile walked over to them. "What's going on?"

"Hi, Bakura." Yugi said as the boy approached them. Even though they didn't know Ryo Bakura very well because he was a transfer student who only recently arrived at their school, they still treated him like a close friend.

"Anzu was just assaultin' me for no reason." Jonouchi said with a grimace.

"I did have a reason, you idiot!"

"I couldn't help but overhear," Bakura said to Yugi while Anzu irritably explained to Jonouchi why she had hit him, "but did you say that you're having a problem with dreams?"

"Just one dream, I think."

"You think?"

"Please take your seats." They had been so wrapped up with their conversations that they hadn't even noticed that the teacher had entered the room. After everyone complied, their teacher smiled. "Class, we have a new transfer student."

"Another one?" Jonouchi whispered to Yugi, who also found it strange.

"Please come in and introduce yourself."

Before the new student walked in, Yugi tried to imagine what they might look like. He guessed that it was either going to be a cute girl - because what young boy didn't want that? - or some big and ruthless bully who would instantly target Yugi because he was such an easy target, what with his size and the fact that he was probably the weakest kid in their class. The transfer student was neither of these things.

All of the students murmured to themselves when they saw the boy's foreign appearance. His skin was bronze - which was not common in Japan, especially where they lived - his shoulder length hair a bleached blond color, and his eyes were dark lavender. Many of the girls giggled, thinking that he looked quite dashing, while most of the boys groaned. It was bad enough when Bakura had arrived, but now there was yet another cute guy to contend with for the girl's affections.

"I am Marik Ishtar." The transfer student announced without emotion, his eyes cast downward.

There was a gap of silence before the teacher asked, "And?"

Instead of answering, the transfer student sullenly walked across the room to an empty desk that he assumed was his and sat down in silence. The female students thought it made him a cool bad boy while the males found it annoying.

"Well then." The teacher coughed uncomfortably before grabbing a piece of chalk to write that day's lesson on the blackboard.

Yugi turned his head to look at Marik, who was sitting in the far back. He was the opposite of Bakura, who had introduced himself with a smile and was polite to everyone. It didn't look like he was from Japan. Was that why? Or maybe he just felt uncomfortable in his new surroundings. After school, Yugi decided, he would introduce himself. Yugi loved making new friends, and it looked like Marik needed some.

* * *

"Where are you from?" One of the many girls that surrounded Marik at his desk asked.

"Egypt." He replied flatly.

"So cool!" All of the girls grabbed each other's hands and squealed in delight.

Bakura watched the spectacle with sympathy in his brown eyes, for he knew the feeling all too well. "Should we try to save him?"

"I don' know . . ." Jonouchi looked suspiciously at the dark skinned teen. "There's somethin' off 'bout that guy."

"Come on, you don't even know him yet." Anzu said.

Honda put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Afraid he'll be the new tough kid and kick your butt?"

"'Course not!" He pushed Honda away. "My gut's just tellin' me that he's bad news."

"Just give him a chance." Anzu argued.

"Anzu's right." Yugi said. "Everyone deserves one."

This made Jonouchi pause. If anyone knew about being given a chance, even when it seemed like a lost cause, it was him. "Fine." The blond boy placed his hands in his pockets. "But if anythin' goes sour, know that I've got your back."

"It's not like he's carrying a knife or anything." Anzu said.

Honda looked at Marik and raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't be surprised if he is."

"Ya see?!" Jonouchi exclaimed. "Even Honda thinks he's bad news!"

"Let's just go already!" Anzu began pushing the others towards the back of the room. "We don't have all day, you know!"

When they reached the transfer student's desk, Yugi and his friends were somehow able to convince the fangirls to leave long enough for them to introduce themselves and stood in front of Marik, smiling down at him as if they had known him for years. Except for Jonouchi, who was doing a mix of a squint and a scowl that he thought looked intimidating but was in reality quite comical.

"Hi, Marik." Yugi said.

The Egyptian boy looked them over once, stood up, and then headed for the open door.

"Wait!" Yugi called out.

Marik continued to make his way towards the exit but Jonouchi got there first and blocked it with his arm, slamming his fist against the doorframe. There was nothing comical in his expression now. "Don't leave like that when someone's talkin' ta ya."

"It's okay, Jonouchi." Yugi said, holding up his hands in a feeble attempt to calm him down. "We can't force him to talk to us."

"It's not 'bout him not talkin' ta us or not. It's this guy's better-than-ya attitude."

"Let the guy go, Jonouchi." Honda said.

After glaring at Marik for a second more, Jonouchi reluctantly lowered his arm.

"Sorry about that." Yugi apologized. "We just want to get to know you."

"Yeah." Anzu put in. "If you ever want a tour of the place or just want to hang out, just let us know."

Marik once again stared at them with unblinking purple eyes before wordlessly leaving the classroom. Yugi and his friends watched as he walked down the long hallway, where the love-struck girls had been waiting, and soon enough he was once again surrounded as they bombarded him with questions and hyperactive giggles. Bakura knew from experience that Marik wouldn't have a moment to himself at school for at least another day or two.

"Well, that was interesting." The white haired boy said. "I wonder why he's avoiding everybody like that."

"I told ya!" Jonouchi clenched his fist. "That guy's trouble!"

"I hate to agree with him, but maybe he's right." Honda placed his hands in his pockets. "And even if he isn't, it looks like the guy just wants to be left alone."

"Can't we try again tomorrow?" Yugi asked.

Jonouchi crossed his arms to form an X. "No way, man! I ain't goin' anywhere near that guy!"

"Too chicken?" Honda asked before giving his friend a noogie.

While the two of them roughhoused, Anzu let out a sigh and said something about boys being boys, which made Bakura chuckle, while Yugi tried to come up with a course of action. He knew that they shouldn't force Marik to be their friend, but they couldn't just give up on him either. Maybe they had come on too strong. Next time they would ease up on him, and maybe after he got more used to their school, Marik would open up a bit. It was worth a shot.

* * *

The next day, they all decided to keep their distance during P.E. But they kept an eye on him, trying to figure the foreign boy out. It proved to be more difficult than they had first assumed. Marik kept to himself, sitting far away from everyone else as he stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in his thoughts. If Yugi didn't know any better, he would have thought that Marik was a ghost. He was certainly as quiet as one. And there was something about him that Yugi couldn't quite put his finger on. A faint recognition that caused a blurred memory to appear in his mind. But when he tried to concentrate on it, the image faded. What was it about Marik that seemed so familiar . . . ?

"Hey, you!" The group of teenagers quickly turned their heads towards the shouting and Bakura flinched when he saw that it was Mr. Karita - their P.E. teacher - who was pointing a finger at the high jump while yelling at Marik, who stared back at him with disinterest. "Get your butt over there!"

As the Egyptian boy got up, Anzu said, "Is this going to be like those anime how the mysterious transfer student comes in and is perfect at everything he does?"

"There's anime like that?" Jonouchi asked.

"Of course there is. What have you been watching?"

He and Yugi exchanged glances and shared a nervous laugh. They couldn't tell her that Jonouchi had porn videos that he sometimes lent to his short and equally perverted friend; even if all of the nudity was censored with pixels.

"He's about to jump!" One of Marik's admirers squealed before the rest of the excited girls began shouting his name, cheering him on.

"That's annoying." Honda groaned.

Marik looked up at the horizontal bar, as if carefully analyzing it to determine how high he should go to avoid it, and everyone leaned forward, holding their breath as he ran and jumped into the air. His female classmates all gasped and even some of the boys looked impressed. Until Marik collided with the bar, which landed next to him when he landed. All of the girls let out a long "awww!" while most of the boys cheered, happy that he wasn't as great as the girls had thought, and they hoped that this would cause some of them to leave Marik's fan club, giving the rest of the male students another shot to win them over.

"So much for your anime theory." Honda said, intertwining his fingers behind his head.

Bakura watched the tanned boy dust himself off before heading back to his original spot. "I think he did that on purpose."

Yugi's eyebrows raised slightly. "You think so?"

"That's what it looked like to me. I could be wrong."

"But why would he do that?" Anzu asked.

Bakura was about to answer but Jonouchi beat him to it. "Cuz he wants the girls ta get off his back. No better way of doin' that than disappointin' 'em."

Honda pointed at his friend. "He should know. Jonouchi's an expert at disappointing women."

"Say what?!"

"Would you guys please cut it out?" Anzu groaned.

* * *

When P.E. was over, Yugi and Anzu - Jonouchi and Honda had decided not to join them in their attempts to befriend Marik, not wanting him to feel surrounded by too many people - casually greeted Marik upon entering their classroom. In response, he opened his schoolbag and pulled out a magazine on motorcycles, completely ignoring the friendship brigade.

After class was no different. Whenever they tried to approach him, he either kept himself busy with reading and studying, or he would leave the room altogether. This carried on for the next couple of days.

"Let me try." Bakura suggested, after Yugi and Anzu had once again been given the cold shoulder, and he walked over to Marik's desk where he started a conversation.

Anzu and Yugi watched from a safe distance. They couldn't hear what was being said, but they saw that Marik's lips were moving, which meant progress. Bakura's shoulders leaned back as he crossed his arms over his chest before the Egyptian boy's eyes half closed. If only they could make out what was being said!

A few moments later, Bakura came back with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but no luck. I think he just doesn't like being around other people."

"That's sad." Anzu said. She couldn't understand how anyone could go on through life without friends. A life without Yugi and the others was unthinkable.

Bakura shrugged slightly. "Some people prefer it that way."

Yugi looked at Marik once more, who had his chin in his hand and was staring out the window. "At least we tried."

"So we're just giving up?" Anzu asked, and from the tone of her voice he could tell that she didn't want to. She was a fighter.

"No, we're just going to leave him alone for now. And maybe one day he'll be ready to make friends and come to us."

"Maybe . . ." Anzu didn't sound convinced.

"He sounded quite annoyed when I spoke to him." Bakura said. "I think it would be best if we left him alone."

Anzu sighed. "Okay. I'm not happy about it, but okay."

"It's for the best." Bakura told her reassuringly.

"How about we find Jonouchi and Honda and go to Burger World together." Yugi suggested, changing the subject. "It's been a while since we've all been there together."

Anzu smiled. "Okay, but you guys are paying."

* * *

"These are the best burgers anywhere!" Jonouchi said as he stuffed his ninth one into his mouth.

"They're going to have a burger shortage if you keep that up." Honda told him.

"Thanks, Yugi." Anzu said. "This was a lot of fun. And it distracted me from thinking about you-know-who."

"Glad to help."

"It's starting to get dark outside." Bakura pointed out. "We should probably be heading home soon."

Anzu looked at her watch. "It's that late already?"

"Party's over!" Honda announced and everyone left their seats before heading out of the building.

"See ya tomorra, Yug." Jonouchi said with a wave.

"Bye, guys." And with that they all went their separate ways.

Yugi jogged at a fast pace as he made his way through the city, hoping to get home before the sun was completely out of the sky. While the crime rate wasn't too bad, it was still a good idea to be cautious. He turned a corner and then decided to go through an alley that he knew was a shortcut but instantly regretted it. The last bit of sunlight was blocked out by the looming buildings and every sound, including his own footfalls, seemed to echo all around him. If only he was tough like Jonouchi and Honda. Those two could take care of themselves. And then some.

The sound of hurrying footsteps made Yugi jump and he turned around to see if anyone was behind him. No one was there. Was he only imagining it? He quickened his pace just in case he wasn't and let out a sigh of relief when he was out of the alley, making a mental note not to use that shortcut ever again. Yugi turned another corner and came face-to-face with a giant insect.

Yugi fell to the ground and stared wide eyed at the creature in front of him. It looked like a cross between a praying mantis and a human, with large red eyes and long arms that had razor sharp blades for hands. It made a clicking noise before raising one of its arms, ready to pierce the blade through the shocked teenage boy. With a yelp, Yugi rolled out of the way just in time, the blade hitting the sidewalk instead. He wasted no time in getting out of there. And of course, the praying mantis-human hybrid followed.

Yugi ran as fast as his short legs could carry him, his fear of being killed giving him a little extra speed. Knowing that going home would only put his grandfather in danger, he ran in the opposite direction, to a location that he knew was almost always deserted: The warehouses.

When the warehouses came into view, Yugi looked over his shoulder to see how close the praying mantis was to him. To his surprise, it was nowhere in sight. Yugi slowed down until he came to a complete stop and bent over, grabbing his shaking legs as he gasped for air. He wasn't used to running so hard for so long. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest, as if it were trying to rip through it and escape; he felt lightheaded as sweat traveled down his brow, and the burgers he had eaten with his friends were trying to resurface. But he couldn't stay here. Yes, rarely anyone was ever here, but those few individuals who did were street thugs and minor criminals. Why did he come here again? Suddenly the thought of being mugged seemed worse than the possibility of being killed by a giant insect. He turned back the way he came, hoping that the creature was gone for good.

"Hey."

Of course.

"What's a kid like you doin' on our turf?"

A group of hooligans casually walked over to him and chuckled to themselves while they showed off their weapons, which consisted of knives, chains, and a few lead pipes thrown in for good measure. All Yugi wanted to do was go home and sleep; but instead he was alone, trying without success to hide his fear as he backed up from the gang until he hit a wall. He was trapped.

"Just pay up and we'll let ya be on your merry little way." The biggest of the bunch, who was obviously the leader, said while tossing his knife from one hand to the other.

"But I don't have any." He had used the last of his pocket money to pay for burgers. Jonouchi was an expensive eater and was seldom able to pay for his large appetite himself.

"That's too bad." The strong muscled thug licked his knife, a murderous glint in his eyes. "I guess we'll just have ta kill ya than."

His minions all smiled and held up their weapons, more than ready to do just that. But they all stopped when they saw that a blade was now protruding from their leader's stomach. Blood sprayed out of his wound and landed on Yugi's face and school uniform as more of the red liquid and saliva poured out of the thug's mouth, and his bloodshot eyes bulged while he made gargling noises in the back of his throat.

"Boss?" One of the gang members asked shakily. "You okay?"

The blade was pulled out, letting the body fall and hit the ground with a loud thud, revealing the praying mantis. Its right arm was now covered with blood.

The now leaderless gang members screamed and ran for it, some of them dropping their weapons in their hurry to get away. The insect ignored them and cocked its head to one side as it looked at Yugi, who was staring down at the body in front of him. He had never seen a dead body before, and the smell of fresh blood was overpowering. This had to be a nightmare, right? There was no way that all of this could actually be happening.

The clicking noise that the praying mantis made snapped Yugi back to reality, and yet he still found himself looking downward at the red puddle at his feet. Was he going to die here too? Images of his friends and grandfather flashed through his mind. Would they ever figure out what happened to him? No, he couldn't die here. He couldn't.

The praying mantis began to walk towards him while getting its blade in position to strike, and Yugi shut his eyes as tight as he could, preparing himself for the blow.

It didn't come. Instead, he heard angry clicking from the insect, followed by grunts and metal upon metal. What was going on? Yugi carefully opened his eyes, wondering if it was safe to look, and his mouth opened in shock. The praying mantis was now attacking someone wearing a dark purple cloak with two gold chains - one below the collar and the other hanging from the edge of his hood that had the image of a golden eye where the forehead was, and Yugi saw that he was fighting off the insect with a golden dagger of some sort. Yugi walked along the wall, trying to stay out of the way as he wondered what he could do to help. The praying mantis tried to slice off the stranger's head and Yugi's rescuer managed to dodge it, but his hood fell back in the process, revealing his face.

"Marik?" Yugi said in disbelief.

The sound of his name distracted him just long enough for the insect to strike. Marik backed off before it could cause any serious damage, but it was still able to cut into his shoulder, and the Egyptian grimaced as blood clung to his cloak.

"Are you all right?" Yugi knew that it was a dumb question, but what else could he say?

Marik looked at him, looked at the praying mantis, then back at Yugi again, trying to decide what he should do. A moment later, Marik began running towards Yugi. Before the spiky haired boy could react, Marik had sped past him. At first Yugi just stood there as he tried to process what had just happened, but the sight of the praying mantis readying itself to charge at him made Yugi turn on his heel and chase after Marik.

The two of them raced towards the warehouses, the praying mantis still pursuing them, and then they entered one of the old buildings, locking it behind them by putting a wooden beam through the door handles. The giant insect tried to use itself as a battering ram and Yugi flinched each time it hit the door, expecting it to break through at any moment. Thankfully that didn't happen. After realizing that it wasn't going to get through that way, the insect stopped and all was calm again. The only sounds that remained were Yugi and Marik's heavy breathing and the overhanging chains that occasionally touched each other when wind blew in through the cracks in the walls.

Marik ripped off his cloak, revealing a sleeveless lavender crop top with two more gold chains on the front and a pulled back hood, over an also sleeveless black shirt. The insect's blade had cut through both fabrics and into his flesh. The tanned boy cursed in a language that Yugi guessed was his native tongue before he snatched up his cloak, tore it with his dagger, and used a piece of it to wrap up the wound, grabbing one end of the cloth with his teeth when tightening the knot. From how quickly he worked, Yugi guessed that bandaging himself up was something he did often. As he watched him work, Yugi noticed that he was also wearing a large array of gold jewelry: Kite shaped earrings, a three banded choker necklace, bracers, and arm bracelets. It made Yugi think of the pictures and sculptures of ancient Egyptians he had once seen at the museum, which he guessed made sense, considering where Marik was from.

"What are you doing here, Marik?"

"I'm supposed to protect you." He didn't sound very happy about it.

"From that thing? Why? What is it? And what does it want?"

"Someone wants to use the Pharaoh's power to bring Monsters into our world."

"The Pharaoh's power?"

A loud crash prevented Marik from explaining any further. The praying mantis had found a weak spot in the roof and broke through, creating a cloud of dust when it landed. Marik held up his dagger as the insect charged and it rammed into him, pinning Marik against the door they had blocked just moments ago.

Yugi saw a wooden beam on the ground and grabbed it, raising it above his head before bringing it down on the insect. It shattered on impact, leaving Yugi with a splintered stump. The insect turned to look at its new attacker and jumped away from Marik before running towards him, its blood covered blade poised for the kill. Marik tried to catch up to it, but they both knew that he wouldn't make it in time. Yugi was as good as dead.

 _"Yugi."_

This wasn't Marik's voice. It was coming from inside Yugi's head.

 _"Yugi, let me take over."_

Yugi tried to speak, to ask the voice who he was, but his eyelids became heavy and his body felt numb before everything went black.

Marik remained still as he watched the slaughter in front of him. First he threw the stump at the insect to give him enough time to grab a crowbar that lay nearby, and as the praying mantis tried once again to attack, he thrust it into its stomach, causing the insect to stop and look down at the green liquid that was dripping from its wound. The crowbar was pulled out, causing the green blood to pour out freely before he hit the side of its head with great force, sending it to the ground. He stood on top of it and brought the crowbar down upon its head. Again. And again. And again. All the while its attacker didn't make a noise or show any emotion - except for the occasional grimace when green blood hit his face, threatening to land in his eyes. When the insect's head was nothing more than an unrecognizable mess, he finally stopped and turned to look at Marik, like a king looking down upon his subjects from his thrown. No. Not a king. A Pharaoh.

Marik clenched his fist and spoke the Pharaoh's name with as much malice as he could muster. "Atem."

The two of them continued to stare at each other, one with pure hatred and the other with indifference, and then Atem began to change.

Yugi looked drowsily at his surroundings, as if he had just woken up from a long nap, and then he collapsed on top of the bloody carcass.

Marik dragged the unconscious boy away from the insect's body and knelt down beside him. He tightened his grip on the dagger as he imagined thrusting the blade into the boy's heart. It would be so easy. And if he was asked about it, he could simply say that he didn't make it in time. The insect had killed Yugi and then Marik had killed the insect. It was a believable story. But he knew that it wouldn't work. His sister could see the future. She had probably seen all of this already. The fact that she had sent her little brother, knowing full well how much he despised the Pharaoh, told him that she knew he wouldn't kill him. Marik squeezed the dagger's hilt enough to make his fingers begin to ache and grow stiff. He wasn't going to pass this up. This was his chance to have his revenge. Marik grabbed the lethal weapon in both of his shaking hands and brought it down on his target.


	2. Chapter 2

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Blood and death

Language: Suck

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 11/7/2015**

 _Made some minor changes; the biggest one being that I got rid of the "a whole bunch of evil henchmen shoot at the hero all at once but somehow keep missing him" cliché. I've always hated that in books and movies, so why had I put it in my own story? Oh well. At least I got rid of it._

 _UPDATE: Oops! I had forgotten to separate the scenes! But it's all fixed now :)_

* * *

Yugi was woken up by his alarm clock - which had just begun to ring - and after sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he remembered what had happened last night. There was a giant insect who killed someone, Marik had fought it off before they hid in the warehouse, and then . . . He shook his head. What had happened after that was fuzzy at best. Was it all a dream? It had to be. But it had felt so real.

To make sure, Yugi looked down at his clothes and gasped. He was still wearing his school uniform, and it was covered with blood and a green liquid. He jumped out of bed and bolted into the bathroom, where he stared at himself in the mirror. Dry blood spatter and more of the strange green goo was also on his face. Marik really did save him from a praying mantis creature. And the insect really had . . . Yugi covered his mouth and just barely made it to the toilet bowl before puking into it as images of the gang leader's corpse flashed through his mind. The eyes that were rolled back into the thug's head; the mouth slightly agape, letting the tongue spill out and lay limply on the pavement, which had turned red with the man's blood. So much blood.

Yugi's throat burned and his stomach ached as he went to the sink. He saw his reflection in the mirror and felt his body tremble as tears threatened to surface. With shaking hands, he turned on the faucet and placed a hand towel under the running water, vigorously wiping his face with it until it felt like the rough cloth was trying to scrape the skin clean off. When he was finished, his face now wet and sore, Yugi grabbed onto the sink while trying to control his breathing and once again glanced at his uniform before getting dressed, putting on sweatpants and a hoodie. When he was done, Yugi grabbed his bloodstained clothes and looked at his alarm clock. He didn't have enough time to clean his uniform before school. His hands clenched around the clothes he was holding and his tears landed on the fabric. Jonouchi was always telling him that he cried too much, and he knew that it made him look like a wimp, but . . .

"Yugi!" His grandfather said from downstairs. "Your friend is here. Are you up yet?"

"I'm up." Yugi called back, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "But I think I'll stay home today."

On the lower floor, Yugi's grandfather turned towards Anzu. "He says he wants to stay home today." He scratched his bearded chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if he's not feeling well."

Anzu ran to the bottom of the stairs before shouting up, "Are you okay, Yugi? Is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's nothing." Yugi replied.

"You wouldn't be staying home if it was nothing."

"Really, it's fine."

Anzu's eyebrows lowered and she stormed up the stairs, ignoring Mr. Mutou, who tried to tell her that what she was about to do was probably not the best idea. When she reached the door, Anzu slammed it open, making Yugi jump and drop his uniform. She paid no attention to the clothes on the floor and walked up to the short high schooler as she frowned down at him sternly, like a parent who had just caught their child trying to steal the cookie jar, making Yugi gulp.

She leaned in towards him, her face only inches away from his. "Don't you know that when something is wrong you're supposed to go to your friends, not push them away?"

"I-"

Anzu placed a hand over her chest. "That's what friends are for. We go to each other in times of trouble and try to help each other out."

"Yeah, but-"

Her face softened and she smiled. "No matter what's going on, please know that me and everyone else are here for you, and you can tell us about anything."

Yugi smiled back at her, momentarily forgetting about the uniform and the story behind the stains. "Thanks, Anzu."

"Now that my friendship speech is over," Anzu crossed her arms, "will you please explain why you said you wanted to skip school?"

While he did believe that everything Anzu had said was true, he also knew that he couldn't tell her the truth. She would never believe him. And even if she did, he didn't want to burden her. "My uh, my stomach isn't feeling good today." That wasn't a lie. He still felt like he might throw up at any moment.

"Why didn't you just say so?" Anzu straightened up. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

"No, it's fine." He said. "I don't want you to miss school on my account."

"I don't mind."

"I'll be fine, Anzu. Really."

She let out a sigh. "Okay, but I'll be right back after school, okay?"

Yugi smiled. "Okay."

After saying a quick goodbye, Anzu left his room, closing the door behind her. Yugi stood there for a moment and picked up his uniform before tossing it onto the bed. He would have to get it washed. But he had to wait until his grandfather wasn't home. And then after that . . .

Yugi straightened up. Tomorrow he would go back to school and pretend that everything was all right. There was no reason to drag his friends into this by making them worry about him. And he also needed to speak to Marik. He had so many questions that needed answers. Why did Marik say that he had to protect him? What was the Pharaoh's power? And why did the praying mantis attack him? The praying mantis. Images of the man's lifeless body flashed through his mind, making him feel another wave of nausea.

Yugi sat at his desk and decided not to think about what had happened. Hopefully he would feel better tomorrow morning. But right now, even after Anzu's speech, he felt like he would never be okay.

* * *

"Hey, Yug!" Jonouchi hollered from the other side of the door, causing Yugi - who had fallen asleep at his desk - to nearly fall out of his chair. "Are ya up, man?!"

"He probably is now with the noise you're making." Honda told his friend.

Yugi remembered his blood covered uniform and rushed over to the bed, covering it with his blanket before sitting on top of it. "Uh, yeah." After the door opened and Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu, and Bakura all poured in he asked, "What are you guys doing here?"

"I said I was coming back after school, didn't I?" Anzu said. "Are you feeling any better? You look tired."

Yugi scratched the back of his head. "I just woke up."

"That's probably a good thing." Honda said. "It's always best to get plenty of rest when you're sick."

Jonouchi snickered. "Listen ta Mr. doctor over here."

"I'm not the one toting the bag."

"What's inside, Jonouchi?" Bakura asked, looking at the paper bag the blond was carrying.

Jonouchi flashed them a proud grin. "When I heard that Yugi wasn' feelin' too good, I brought somethin' that'll make him better in a jiffy." He reached inside and pulled out a half empty bottle. "This'll fix ya right up."

Anzu cocked an eyebrow. "Red wine?"

"Are you trying to get us arrested?" Honda asked.

"It's suppose' ta help with stomach aches." Jonouchi turned to face Yugi. "Ya do have a stomach ache, right? Or do ya have a cold? Cuz I can get ya some whisky if you've got that."

"Where did you get it?" Bakura asked.

"From my old man."

Honda leaned against Yugi's desk. "And Jonouchi's crime record expands."

"Just for that, you're not gettin' any."

Anzu and Bakura laughed as they watched Honda try to apologize and convince Jonouchi to give him some while his blond friend waved it in front of his face, pulling it out of reach when he tried to grab it. Even Yugi found himself smiling at their antics. He felt lucky to have such great friends.

"Thanks, guys."

"Don' sweat it." Jonouchi handed his short friend the bottle. "It's what friends are for, right?

Yugi smiled. "Right."

* * *

When Yugi woke up the next day, he did feel better. It was true that after his friends had left he had spent almost all of yesterday locked up in his room, only coming out to grab dinner, which he had picked at before putting it in the fridge, and even now he didn't have much of an appetite. But the queasiness had subsided and he found it easier to not think about that night. The biggest problem was that a part of Yugi wondered if he would ever fully recover. He hoped he would, but he highly doubted it. How could anyone completely forget about something like that? While he put on his now clean uniform, Yugi tried once more to push every thought and memory of that night out of his mind before heading downstairs, where his grandfather was waiting for him.

"Morning, Grandpa." Yugi said with a yawn.

"Good morning. Are you feeling better today?"

Yugi wasn't sure how to answer that, but luckily he didn't have to because the store's door opened and Anzu stepped inside, clearly out of breath.

"Sorry I'm late." She said between breaths. "I overslept."

"It's okay, Anzu. I just woke up."

"Did you have that dream again?"

It took him a moment to realize what she was talking about. After everything that had happened, Yugi had completely forgotten about it. "No, not this time."

"Do you think it's gone for good?"

"I don't think so. Sometimes it goes away for a while and then comes back."

Anzu smiled. "You look a lot better today. Did the wine help?"

"I think it helped Jonouchi and Honda more than me." He said, remembering how they had taken a few too many sips, making them quite tipsy.

"Good thing I took it from them when I did." Anzu said with a sigh. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Yep!"

"Aren't you going to have breakfast?" Yugi's grandfather asked.

"I'm not hungry."

Mr. Mutou nodded in understanding. "All right. But first," He made his way towards one of the bookshelves that contained many different games of all shapes, sizes, and types.

He grabbed a stepladder and used it to reach a golden box with Egyptian hieroglyphs on it from the top shelf and brought it down before handing it to Yugi, who looked up at him with wide purple eyes. Mr. Mutou nodded, silently telling his grandson that he had permission to open it. Yugi had known about this box his whole life, but whenever he had asked him about it his grandfather always said that he had to wait until he was older to find out what was inside. He had spent all those years waiting, trying to figure out what it contained. And now he would be able to see for himself. Yugi swallowed and opened it at a snail's pace, wanting this moment to last for as long as possible, and then his eyes widened even further when he saw the contents. Inside was an upside-down golden pyramid with an eye on the center that resembled the one that was on the dagger Marik had used.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"Don't you know a gift when you see one?" He said with a laugh as he pulled out a thin piece of rope from his pocket, which he put through the ring that was on top of the pyramid, turning it into a necklace. "This is called the Millennium Puzzle, and it's said to have great power."

"Power?" Anzu asked.

Yugi's grandfather nodded before handing it to his grandson. "I believe that if you wear this, it will stop you from having that dream you sometimes have."

Anzu bent down to get a closer look at the object. "Is it like a dream catcher?"

"Something like that." Mr. Mutou said while stroking his chin.

"Thank you, Grandpa!" Yugi gave him a hug. This combined with Anzu's words and his friend's visit made that night all but forgotten. For the moment, anyway.

"But remember, Yugi." His grandfather placed his hands on Yugi's shoulders. "For it to work, you must keep it on at all times."

"That sucks." Anzu said.

"If you want something, you have to give something in return." Yugi's grandfather said, crossing his arms. "Especially when it comes to objects with magical properties."

Yugi smiled, but it quickly disappeared when he glanced up at the clock on the wall. "We have to go, Anzu, or we'll be late."

"Oh shoot!" Anzu and her friend both ran for the door, saying a quick goodbye to Yugi's grandfather as they did.

As they made their way to school together, Yugi looked at the Millennium Puzzle and watched the sunlight reflect off of it. While the incident was still in the back of his mind, he somehow knew that everything was going to someday be all right.

* * *

"The Pharaoh has appeared?!" Gozaburo Kaiba, a middle-aged businessman who was sitting at his desk with a cigar in his hand, shouted into the telephone receiver with a voice loud enough to deafen a dinosaur from fifty yards away. "Well where is he?! If you know where he is, go and bring him to me and stop wasting my time!"

He slammed the phone down, almost hard enough to break it in half, and then he sat back in his chair, making it creak as he did, and smiled to himself. After all these years, the great Pharaoh was finally back. And he, Gozaburo Kaiba, was going to capture him and use his powers to make millions. True, he already had millions, but there was nothing wrong with having a little extra. It wasn't only about the money, though. The Pharaoh's power would also leave his competitors in the dirt and everyone would want to do business with him and him alone. Gozaburo placed the cigar in his mouth and chuckled. Soon his plans would be put into action, and no one would be able to stop him.

While he remained lost in his thoughts, a pair of indigo colored eyes watched him from the slightly ajar office door before the black haired boy ran down the long hallway, heading straight for his older brother's room. When he reached it, he knocked on the door three times and waited for a response.

"What is it, Mokuba?" A voice asked from inside.

The eleven-year-old boy rushed inside, unable to contain his excitement. "Seto! I just heard father talking about the Pharaoh! They found him and are on their way to him right now!"

"Interesting." Seto, who was five years older than his little brother, smiled to himself. "Too bad for them that I had found him first. By the time they get there, he will already be gone and in my custody."

"Do you think the Pharaoh's power is really as great as they say?" Mokuba asked excitedly.

"It had better be," Seto Kaiba finished putted on his school uniform and grabbed his schoolbag, "or all of this would have been a waste of my time."

* * *

"What's that thing?" Jonouchi asked as he and the rest of Yugi's friends stared at the Millennium Puzzle.

"It's a gift from my grandpa." Yugi said while holding it up. "It's supposed to help me with that dream I told you guys about."

"Wha'? Like some voodoo-hicky-somethin'?"

Anzu raised an eyebrow. "Voodoo what?"

Honda shrugged. "Whatever works, right?"

"Guys," Bakura said, "is that Marik coming towards us?"

Sure enough, their Egyptian classmate was walking in their direction. This was strange all by itself. But to top it all off, Marik was also smiling.

"That's just creepy." Honda said with a grimace.

"Hello, Yugi." Marik said, his voice soft and friendly, instead of distant and menacing like before.

"Uh, hi." Yugi replied, uncertain what to say or do. He instinctively looked at Marik's shoulder and felt a wave of guilt.

"I'm sorry to interrupt." He apologized. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not." Anzu said with a smile that matched Marik's before glaring at the others, silently telling them to do the same, before turning back to the dark skinned boy. "What's going on?"

"I actually wanted to apologize. I was against moving here, and I took out my frustrations on all of you. I hope that you will all forgive my rudeness."

"Of course." Anzu saw that the others weren't responding and jammed her elbow into Jonouchi's stomach. "Right?"

"Yeah." Yugi said hastily.

"Of course, man." Honda put in.

"No problem." Jonouchi said, his hand on the spot where Anzu had hit him.

"Why did you suddenly decide to apologize after all this time?" Bakura asked, lowering his eyelids with a faint hint of a grin. "Unless you secretly want something from us."

"Bakura!" Anzu said in disbelief. "How can you say that? Can't you see that he's trying to apologize?"

"No, it's fine." Marik raised his hand reassuringly. "I don't expect any of you to forgive me right away."

"But we do forgive you, Marik."

"We do?" Jonouchi asked before seeing the look on Anzu's face. "Uh, I mean, yeah. 'Course we do. I guess."

Their teacher came into the classroom and everyone sat in their seats. Yugi only half listened, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to look at Marik. Why was he acting so nice all of a sudden? Did it have something to do with that night? He couldn't see how that could be the case. Maybe what he said was true, at least in a way. Yugi knew nothing about him, after all. Marik saw that Yugi was watching him and gave his classmate a friendly smile before grabbing his pencil to write something down. When Yugi's head felt like it was going to explode, he pushed his questions to the back of his head and decided to ask Marik about it after school.

While Yugi tried to listen to what the teacher was saying, Marik glared up at him and felt a wave of disgust. Disgust at himself. It had taken every ounce of willpower not to drive his pencil into the runt's eyeball when he was talking to him and his clueless companions. It was still tempting. But he had to wait for the right moment. That is what he had decided last night.

 _Marik pulled the tip of the dagger out of the concrete, where he had stabbed the ground only inches away from Yugi's unconscious body. Nothing would bring him more pleasure than to see Yugi's blood drip from his weapon as he watched the boy's life fade. But they would know that he did it, and he knew the consequences. No. He wasn't going to let the Pharaoh ruin his life any more than he already had. There had to be a way to kill him without anyone knowing that he was behind it._

 _The main problem was his sister. With her power to see the future, it was almost impossible. But it did have its weaknesses. She would be able to see a man stab another, but she could not read their heart to know their reasons behind it. If he could use that to his advantage, than maybe he could figure out a way to kill the Pharaoh and look blameless for it._

 _For now he would pretend to be his friend to lower his defenses and fool his sister if she was watching. And then, when the time was right, he would have his revenge._

Marik spun the pencil between his fingers while the gears in his head spun, trying to come up with the perfect strategy. When he realized that all of his current ideas wouldn't work, he directed his attention at Bakura, the innocent looking boy who had everyone fooled. He was a great actor, he gave him that. Or was it that he also . . .

Bakura felt Marik's eyes on him and turned his head in the Egyptian's direction. His brown eyes looked into Marik's lavender ones and they had a short staring contest, trying to figure each other out without revealing anything about themselves. As they did, they both remembered the first time they had officially met.

 _Yugi and Anzu had left Marik's desk just moments before, having failed in their quest to befriend him, when Bakura walked over and smiled sweetly at him. "Mind if I join you?"_

 _"You can stop acting." Marik said in a flat tone._

 _Bakura's features changed and he let out a small chuckle. "What gave me away?" When Marik didn't answer, he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're one of the Tomb Keepers, right? A long line of guardians who protect the Pharaoh and his secrets." The corners of his mouth pulled into a cruel smirk, exposing teeth that were as white as his hair. "But I can see your hatred when you look at him." He leaned forward slightly. "We have something in common."_

 _Marik's eyelids lowered. "Are you suggesting that we team up?"_

 _"Of course not. I never work with anyone unless there's something in it for me." He raised his shoulders in a slight shrug. "I just came here to warn you. If you kill the Pharaoh before I do, I will delight in dismembering your body and sending the pieces to your family. But they won't get all of it. I'll keep your head and throw my knives at it when I'm bored."_

Bakura hadn't been joking. He really would kill anyone who got to the Pharaoh first or tried to get in his way. And he would enjoy it too. His hands ached to grab a knife hilt again. The memory of watching the blade piece the skin was still fresh in his mind and remembering it now made him want to do it again. Maybe he would just kill Marik for kicks. It had been a while since he murdered anyone, and he felt out of practice. He wasn't too worried, though. It was like riding a bike; except more fun. As he grinned to himself, Bakura leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. This was out of character for the Ryo Bakura that everyone knew, but he was in too much of a good mood to care. And it didn't matter, because tonight he was going to make his first move.

* * *

"Are you all right, Ishizu?" Rishid Ishtar, a tall man with Egyptian hieroglyphs tattooed on the left side of his face, asked his sister when she had stumbled.

"I'm fine." She told him as he helped steady her.

"Was it another vision?"

"No, and that is the problem. I'm worried, Rishid. Was it wrong of me to assign Marik to guard the Pharaoh?"

He wished he could reassure her, but he was probably more concerned than she was. Rishid lowered his head and remembered the conversation he and Marik had had before his little brother left for Japan.

 _Deep under the sands of Egypt, Rishid walked through the tomb that the Ishtar's called home and stepped into Marik's room to find that he had already finished packing. But of course, Marik didn't have many belongings. None of them did. Just a handful of clothes, a primitive first aid kit, and the Millennium Rod that doubled as a weapon. Marik was now sitting on his bed while staring at the stone wall in front of him, lost in his thoughts._

 _"Come in, Rishid." Marik finally said, not looking in his direction._

 _Rishid complied. "You wanted to see me, Marik?"_

 _The teenage boy's fingers intertwined. "When I meet the Pharaoh, I may not be able to control myself."_

 _"Ishizu wouldn't send you if she thought you would be a threat to him."_

 _Marik looked up at his older brother. "If I lose myself, I want you to kill me."_

 _"It won't come to that." Rishid knew that the only reason why he said this was because he didn't want it to happen, but he knew that it was a possibility._

 _"You have to promise me that you will do it."_

 _Rishid's head lowered. "I promise."_

While Rishid remained silent by her side, Ishizu grabbed onto the railing of the ship they were on with one hand and touched the Millennium Tauk with the other. She closed her eyes and tried to see what would come to pass, but of course she saw nothing. Ishizu didn't know why, but something seemed to be blocking her visions. One of the reasons why she had so willingly told Marik to stay by the Pharaoh's side was because she knew that she could see his future to make sure everything would be all right. But now that she couldn't, Ishizu wondered if her little brother really would kill the one he was supposed to protect. Telling herself that there had been no other choice didn't make her feel any better. All she and Rishid could do now was go to Japan and pray that they were not too late.

* * *

Marik was on his way out of the school grounds, still trying to formulate a plausible plan for annihilating the Pharaoh, when someone blocked his path. It was Yugi. With effort, Marik managed to force himself to give a fake smile and opened his mouth to say something friendly that would make Marik's stomach twist with revulsion, but Yugi spoke first.

"Marik, we need to talk."

The Egyptian looked at their surroundings. Students were still piling out of the building, chatting to each other while heading back home or to other various locations to hang out. This wasn't exactly the ideal place to have this conversation.

"Is there somewhere private where we can talk?" Marik asked.

Yugi smiled. "I know the perfect place!"

* * *

Pegasus J. Crawford brought his wineglass to his lips before looking up at the portrait of his deceased wife. "It won't be long now." He told her. Of course she didn't reply, but talking to her like this helped ease the pain a little. And it renewed his resolve.

The door flew open with a loud bang and one of his many security guards marched into the room. Pegasus looked up from his glass in annoyance. Why did they all have to barge in like that? What happened to dignity and etiquette? All of his men severely lacked both of those things. That was the price of hiring brawn over brain. While his Millennium Item was very useful, he sometimes found himself wishing that he had one that controlled men's minds instead. That way he could force them to have some manners. But of course, that wasn't his style. He much preferred permanently disposing of those who didn't meet his standards.

"Mr. Crawford!" The security guard said a bit too loudly for Pegasus' taste. "We have just found the location of the Pharaoh, sir!"

"Excellent." Pegasus said as he moved his wrist in a circular motion, making the red liquid in the wineglass spin like a calm whirlpool. "Soon my plan will be complete."

"What is our next course of action, sir?!" Why did he have to be so loud? Pegasus hadn't even finished his wine yet and he already felt like he had a hangover.

"We are going to send him an invitation to my mansion, telling him that I, Pegasus J. Crawford, would like to speak with him in private about the power he holds."

"Wouldn't it be easier to capture him instead, sir?!" This man was really starting to get on his nerves. "What if he refuses to come, sir?!"

"Oh, he will come; when he realizes that I've taken one of his loved ones hostage."

"I didn't know that we had done that, sir!"

"That's because we haven't yet. But a group of my men were ordered to do so once we found out his current identity."

"Why wasn't I informed, sir?!"

Pegasus smiled and made a flourish with his free hand. "I didn't see the point in explaining my plans to a dead man."

The security guard's eyes widened and his voice lowered in volume, much to Pegasus' relief. "Dead man, sir?"

"That's right. But don't worry. I'll be sure to send your family some flowers."

Before the terrified guard could respond, Pegasus moved his long platinum colored hair away from his left eye, which, many years ago, had been replaced with the one and only Millennium Eye. As the security guard looked at it, he felt a searing pain in his hand. He looked down and saw that his fingers had molded together and had somehow turned into steel, creating a deadly blade, and it was moving towards his throat against his will. Pegasus grinned and sipped his drink while the man begged for it to stop, his eyes bulging as the blade came closer and closer to his neck until it sliced him open.

Pegasus let out a deep sigh. Another mess to clean up later. But even the blood seeping into his expensive carpet couldn't dampen his mood. Tonight the Pharaoh would be his guest, and he would force the boy to give him his powers. If he refused, then Pegasus would just have to put up with a few more blood stains.

* * *

Marik wouldn't have called this the 'perfect place' to continue their chat. Burger World was filled with the sound of teenagers and families talking to each other in raised voices to be heard over everyone else as pretty waitresses wearing mini skirts busily went from table to table without rest. Being around this many people made Marik feel uncomfortable. He much preferred being alone. Or at least not with such large crowds.

"It's okay." Yugi said when he saw the look on Marik's face as they sat down. "It's so busy in here that no one will be able to listen in on us."

Yugi's logic was flawed at best, but Marik was still fairly new here, meaning that he didn't know of a better place to go. Besides, if they went to an isolated area, Yugi might find himself with the Millennium Rod pierced into his head. So all-in-all, this was probably one of the better places to talk.

"May I take your order?" A waitress asked them.

"What kind of a burger would you like, Marik?" Yugi asked.

Marik blinked. "What's a burger?"

The waitress pointed at the Egyptian with her pencil as she whispered to Yugi. "Is he serious?"

Yugi gave her a nervous laugh before ordering for the both of them and waited until she was gone before asking, "Have you really never had a burger before?"

"There are a lot of things I haven't had because of where I live." His home was surrounded by sand and the nearest marketplace didn't exactly have the widest array of food and supplies. And his family couldn't even afford most of it.

Yugi now realized that he took so many things for granted and felt guilty in a way, but then he smiled. "I think you'll really like it. Jonouchi can vouch for them."

Marik didn't reply. He had kept up the nice guy act as long as he could. Besides, it only made him loath Yugi even more, if that was even possible. So the two of them sat in awkward silence until their food arrived. Yugi instantly grabbed his burger and bit into it, his appetite finally returning, while Marik just stared at his, as if expecting it to grow legs and perform a tap dance routine on his plate. He never rushed into things and liked weighing all of his options before making a move; even when it came to simple things like trying out a new food. Except for when he was in the heat of battle. During a fight, he always let his instincts take over and charged forward, not thinking about the possible dangers. People who hesitated on the battlefield, in his opinion, were cowards. Finally he decided to give it a try and chewed it thoughtfully, tasting the toasted bun, beef patty, ketchup, mustard, and pickle slices.

"Well?" Yugi asked, honestly wanting to know what he thought.

Marik swallowed it before putting the rest of the burger back on his plate. "You wanted to talk, right?"

"Right." Yugi wolfed down the rest of his burger. "Can you please explain what that bug was and why it was after me?"

Marik tried to ignore the taste in his mouth as he resisted the urge to wash it out with the glass of water that sat in front of him. "It would be quicker if I just started from the beginning."

"Okay." Yugi leaned forward, telling Marik that he was ready to listen.

After placing his arms on the tabletop, Marik began. "Three thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh's wizards found a way to call upon Monsters and make them enter their bodies, giving the wizards great powers." He saw the confused look on Yugi's face but continued anyway, trying to explain everything in as few words as possible. He couldn't stand to be in the same room with him for much longer. "It's unclear exactly what happened, but something went wrong and the Pharaoh and he used the power to control all Monsters to slaughter all of his people before his demise."

"Was that bug a Monster?"

Marik ignored the question. "We don't know why, but those who are possessed by Monsters become reincarnated when they die, forced to relive the events that took place in their first life." His lavender eyes narrowed. "And you are the reincarnation of the Pharaoh, Atem."

Yugi felt a cold chill run down his spine. He, Yugi Mutou, the shortest kid at his school and first-class wimp, was the Pharaoh of Egypt in a past life? The idea seemed laughable. It would explain what the insect was, but if he could control all Monsters, why couldn't he stop it from attacking him? Or from killing that man? His burger tried to resurface but he managed to keep it down and pushed back the memory. As he did, he suddenly realized with dread that that insect might not be the last Monster to come after him. What if one attacked him at school, or at his grandfather's store? What if someone he knew got hurt because of him? Or worse . . . Yugi's head lowered and he clenched his fists. What could he do to prevent that from happening?

The dark skinned teenager glanced at the object that rested against Yugi's chest and wondered if he knew that the Millennium Items were used to better control the Monsters that possessed their hosts, decreasing the creature's chances of taking over in the form of their previous life. After thinking about it for a while, he decided to not mention it. As long as Yugi kept it wherever he went it should be fine, and he could always explain it to him later on. Besides, Marik knew that it was always best to give out as little information as possible to the enemy. Speaking of enemies . . .

"Over the years, the Pharaoh's power has become well known." Marik explained. "Many have tried to take it for their own. No one has succeeded yet, but that doesn't stop them from trying every time the Pharaoh resurfaces. It was probably someone who wants the Pharaoh's power that sent the Monster after you."

"And you're protecting me from them?" Marik didn't answer, but Yugi took it as a yes. "Why?"

He could explain that the Ishtar family have served the Pharaoh for three thousand years, but just thinking about it filled his heart with an uncontrollable rage. Marik decided not to answer. He needed to remain calm and in control of his emotions and actions. Talking about it would only upset the balance.

When he saw that Marik wasn't going to answer any of his questions, Yugi stared at the tabletop. What was the point of Marik telling him all of this if he wasn't willing to explain everything? Yugi had so many things he wanted to ask, but was it even worth it if Marik was going to remain silent?

The two of them were interrupted from their private thoughts when a man wearing a suit walked over to their table. "Are you Yugi Mutou?"

"Uh, yeah." Yugi answered. "What is it?"

"Mr. Seto Kaiba has requested your company. If you would please follow us, we will take you to him."

"Kaiba?" What would he want with Yugi? Even though they were classmates, they had never spoken to each other, and all Yugi knew about him was that his family was extremely rich.

"We must leave now." The man insisted.

"Okay." Yugi started to get up before he remembered his companion. "Can my friend come too?"

The man looked at the Egyptian through his dark sunglasses before speaking again. "Mr. Seto Kaiba has requested you alone."

"Oh." Yugi turned towards Marik to say goodbye and ask if they could continue their discussion at a later time, but before he could get the words out of his mouth, Marik had grabbed the plate that still had his burger on it and slammed it into the man's face. "What the-?"

Marik grabbed Yugi's arm, yanking him out of his seat, and pushed him towards the door before running through it himself. At first Yugi didn't move and tried to figure out what could have caused Marik's outburst, but then he saw the man reach into his suit and pull out a gun, while trying to wipe ketchup and mustard from his eyes with his free arm. The sight of the lethal weapon was a good enough reason to leave. Yugi ran for the exit and a gunshot rang out behind him. Luckily the burger toppings had disoriented him enough for the man to miss. As Yugi made his escape, the people inside Burger World all screamed and flattened themselves on the floor, hoping to not get hit by stray bullets.

When he made it outside, Yugi looked up and down the street, wondering which way Marik went, when he saw five or more armored jeeps coming towards him. They stopped a few feet away and men wearing commando uniforms and carrying guns that were triple the size of the ones the suited man had pointed their weapons at Yugi as one of them put a megaphone to his lips.

"Mr. Yugi Mutou! We command you to surrender and put your hands behind your head!"

Before Yugi could perform their request, someone grabbed his shirt collar from behind and dragged him into a narrow alley, causing him to be hidden by darkness.

"Hold your fire!" The commando ordered his men. "Gozaburo wants the Pharaoh alive! Split up and circle around him! He won't get far!"

When the person who had grabbed Yugi let go, the spiky haired boy let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Marik. He opened his mouth to say 'thank you', but like always, Marik sped off without a word and Yugi followed while trying to figure out what was going on.

Unknowing to them, Bakura was standing on the rooftop, watching them as if they were two lab rats in a maze. He had been planning to kill the Pharaoh tonight, but it would be too much of a hassle with all of these people chasing after him. And besides, this was fun to watch. Maybe a few innocents would get caught in the crossfire and their blood would run in the streets. Or, if he was lucky, maybe Marik would be fatally shot. It would certainly make his job a whole lot easier. Bakura smiled as he effortlessly followed Yugi and his protector, wondering how long they would be able to keep him entertained.


	3. Chapter 3

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Violence

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/11/2015**

 _Re-uploaded._

* * *

Yugi's grandfather closed up the game shop for the night, worry in his tired old eyes. He had hoped that this day would never come, but there was no denying it now. He thoughtfully placed his hands behind his back and wondered if his grandson was safe. As he did, he remembered what had happened just a few nights ago.

 _He had been sleeping soundly in his bed, dreaming about days gone by and old friends that had come and gone throughout his past, when he was woken up by the sound of a door closing, followed by footsteps. Mr. Mutou, assuming that it was a burglar, opened the drawer in his nightstand and picked up the flashlight before jumping out of bed. The old man's slippers muted his footsteps as he walked across his bedroom. When he reached the door, he flung it open with great vigor and let out a surprised shout when he saw that someone was standing right outside. A teenage boy with dark skin and light blond hair blinked and stepped back when the bright light hit him._

 _"You had better get out while you still can, young man!" Yugi's grandfather told the intruder. "I may be up in my years but I can still-" He stopped when he saw what the boy was carrying on his back. It was Yugi, who looked like he was sleeping, and his clothes and face were covered with what looked like red and green paint. "What are you doing with my grandson?" His purple eyes widened when he noticed the deep gash in the stranger's shoulder. "Wait right there and I'll call a doctor."_

 _Mr. Mutou ran back into his room and grabbed the phone before turning around to ask the intruder what his name was, only to find that he had already left, leaving Yugi in the hallway. After putting the phone back down, Yugi's grandfather picked up his grandson, almost breaking his back in the process, and carried him into the boy's room where he placed him on the bed before going back to sleep. Or at least, he had tried to until he finally got back up and made his way downstairs, where he stood in front of the bookshelf and stared at the golden box that rested there._

Mr. Mutou continued to worry about Yugi; but knowing that the stranger was probably protecting him and the fact that the Millennium Puzzle was supposed to help made him feel better, though not by much. If the stories were true, and he now knew that they were, Yugi would become a target by those were craved the Pharaoh's dark powers. When his grandson arrives home, he had decided, the two of them would leave the shop and go into hiding. While it did sadden him to leave this place, his grandson was much more important than an old building. He grabbed a washcloth and began cleaning the counter, knowing that this would be the last time he could, and looked at all of the various games he had collected over the years while he waited anxiously for his grandson to come home. As he worked, there was a knock at the door.

* * *

"Grandpa?" Yugi called as he knocked again. He had left the key, which was in his schoolbag, at Burger World in their rush to escape. "Grandpa, it's me. Can you please open the door?" The door creaked open, and on the other side was Marik, which made Yugi look at where he had been standing next to him just moments ago before looking back at Marik again. "How did you-?"

"I climbed in through the window." He explained.

Sure enough, one of the windows was now open. Yugi decided to put Marik's strange behavior aside and walked into the game shop. The lights were on, telling him that his grandfather must be home.

Yugi looked inside the living room. "Grandpa?"

Panic began to take over as Yugi ran through the house, frantically looking for his grandfather.

As Marik watched Yugi continue his search, he felt his lips pull into a smile. Yugi was suffering, and he loved it. He wanted the boy's heart to shatter; for him to feel true pain. To fall into utter and complete darkness. A part of him hoped that Mr. Mutou was dead and that they would find his body, laying broken and bleeding in some dark alley where rats were feasting on his rotting corpse. The thought of Yugi crying over his dead grandfather made him want to laugh, like it was the funniest joke in the world. But that wasn't enough. Yugi should watch his whole life crumble underneath his feet, tumbling down into an endless abyss of misery and despair. He wanted the boy to feel pain. The same pain that Marik had to endure. Marik's smile grew as he continued to imagine Yugi suffering from a fate worse than death. His limbs being torn off of his body, leaving a bloody trail and exposing flesh and bone. Driving a knife into his eyes and cutting them out, leaving empty sockets and red tears would run down his cheeks. Cutting his chest open and pulling out his heart before crushing it in his bare hands. Marik's tongue slipped out of his mouth and he licked his top lip, feeling the pleasure of his twisted fantasies.

"Marik?"

The tanned boy snapped back to reality, and upon seeing Yugi's shocked face, shook his head. What had happened just now? He had never felt like that before. Whatever that feeling was, he loved it. But he was also terrified of it. It was like a mix of euphoria and ecstasy. It felt like an out-of-body experience; like he was losing control of himself. But it felt so good. So right. And he wanted to feel it again. No, he wanted more. He didn't want to only see Yugi suffer in his mind. He wanted to make it happen. And he wanted to make it happen now.

The sound of gunfire rang out as bullets shattered the windows. The two teenage boys fell to the ground to avoid getting hit, but they couldn't stay down here forever. Marik began crawling towards the stairs and Yugi followed before they ran up to the second floor, unknowing that there was a letter from Pegasus on the counter.

When they made it to the top of the steps, Yugi and Marik rushed into Mr. Mutou's room, where the Egyptian opened the window and climbed out, landing with a cat-like grace onto the ground below. Yugi stared down and felt his head spin and his legs weaken underneath him. There was no way he could make that jump. Marik obviously had some form of gymnastics training, while Yugi could barely keep up in P.E. at school.

Marik waited for Yugi, a part of him hoping he would hit the hard pavement, where he would land on his head and either break his neck or crack open his skull. Or both. But when Yugi jumped down, he managed to land unharmed, much to Marik's disappointment.

The two men leaned out the window Yugi had just jumped out of, getting their guns ready to fire, and the two boys wasted no time in running in the opposite direction of the armed men, not sure where they were going or what they would do when they got there.

* * *

They were long gone when Yugi's friends saw the bullet riddled building the next morning. Anzu covered her mouth as they stepped on the broken glass, making their way into the abandoned game shop. The light bulb on the ceiling flickered on and off, making their shadows appear and disappear as they tried to make sense out of the wreckage.

Jonouchi cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yugi! Grandpa! Are ya guys in here?! Answer me!"

"Yugi." Anzu wrapped her arms around herself. "What could have happened to him?"

"I don't know." Honda answered honestly, inspecting the floor for clues. "But we should probably search the place."

"I'll start at the top." Jonouchi said before running up the steps.

Honda looked at Anzu, seeing how upset she was. "Why don't you stay here for a while? We'll let you know if we find anything."

Anzu wanted to look for her friend, but right now she could barely walk, let alone search a building. "Alright."

She watched Honda go into the living room before she managed to make her way to the counter to lean against it. Right before reaching it, her blue eyes caught sight of the simple white envelope that rested on top of it. She raced over to it and picked it up, examining it as her mind began racing. Written on the back was a name.

"Pegasus J. Crawford." She read out loud. "Where have I heard that name before?" She ripped the letter open and pulled out two pieces of paper. One contained a map, while the other . . . "Guys! I know where Yugi's grandpa is!"

Both Jonouchi and Honda hurried into the room and ran over to Anzu, who was attentively studying the map.

"What did ya find?" Jonouchi asked.

She handed him the note without looking away from the map. "Read this."

As he admired the fact that she went from shell-shocked to female Shinichi Kudo in such a short amount of time, he grabbed the piece of paper and read it out loud. "If you're wonderin' where your grandfather is, know that he is safe and sound. But I can't guarantee that he'll stay that way. Please follow the map that will lead ya ta my humble home so that we can discuss terms. Sincerely, Pegasus J. Crawford."

"Pegasus J. Crawford?" Honda asked. "Isn't he that eccentric billionaire?"

"That's where I've heard the name before!" Anzu exclaimed. "I remember reading about him. After his wife died, he locked himself in his mansion and he hasn't left since."

"So he's a kidnapper and a shut-in." Jonouchi said while flipping the page over to see if there was anything written there. There wasn't. "Do ya think Yugi left ta find his grandpa?"

"But this hadn't been opened yet." Anzu pointed out.

"Even so," Honda grabbed the map from Anzu, "this is our only lead. I say we follow it."

"Yeah!" Jonouchi said eagerly. "Let's go and kick that Pegasus' butt!"

"I think you should rephrase that." Honda said as he imagined Jonouchi kicking a flying house.

"But what about Yugi?" Anzu said worriedly. "He might still be here."

"We'll search the area for him today. If we don't find him by tomorrow, we'll try to find this Crawford guy. Maybe he followed them when they abducted his grandpa, which would explain why the note hadn't been touched."

"Okay." Anzu straightened up. "Let's go and look for him!"

* * *

"Is this the place?" Rishid asked as they approached the game shop as the sun began to set in the distance.

"Yes, I am sure of it." Ishizu answered, glass crunching under her sandals. "I saw it in one of my visions once before. Marik was here with the Pharaoh and they escaped."

"Do you know where they are now?"

Ishizu shook her head. "The vision stopped after that." She pointed towards the back of the building. "But I do know that they went in that direction." Her blue eyes half closed. "I just hope that we can find them before . . ."

Rishid knew what she was talking about. Many years ago, when Marik was only a child, she had run into Rishid's room with tears in her eyes. It took a while for her to calm down enough to explain. When she had gone into Marik's room to check on him, she had seen a horrifying vision. Her little brother, who was sleeping soundly, would someday be consumed by his Past Life. She had watched images of Marik holding up his Millennium Rod, which was covered with blood.

"Hold it right there!" Three of the commandoes who had tried to capture Yugi earlier held up their guns, ready to fire if needed, as one of them said, "We would like to ask you some questions."

Before they could even blink, Rishid grabbed three knives from his belt and threw them expertly, all of them hitting their mark. The commando officers fell to the ground, two of them grabbing at their shoulders while the last one held his hand. They all shouted curse words at the blades lodged into their bodies, sheer pain preventing their minds from telling them to pull the knives out.

"We should go." Rishid told his sister.

She nodded and the two of them ran in the direction she had seen her brother heading in her old vision. She wished more than ever that her Millennium Tauk would work as she thought about the last image it had shown her. The vision had been clouded, making it hard to make out what exactly was going on, but she did see Marik's face, and he had been smiling. Not the same maniacal one from the other vision that made her quiver with fear. This one was calm and gentle. It should have brought her piece of mind, but there was also pain in his eyes, and the image had faded as they had closed, as if for the last time.

 _'Please, Marik.'_ She said in her mind, somehow hoping he would hear her thoughts. _'Please be all right.'_

* * *

Yugi sat on the floor as a rat scampered past a few feet away, dodging into a hole in the wall of the abandoned building he and Marik were now hiding in. Plaster and dust covered the floor, the old wallpaper was faded and peeling off, and a broken chair lay on its side across from him. He looked up at his protector, who was sitting across from him. His eyes were closed and Yugi almost wondered if he had fallen asleep. The silence was unbearable, but the last thing he wanted to do was talk to him. That look on Marik's face earlier, his eyes rolled upward and his tongue sliding out. He had never seen anything like it, and it made Yugi terrified of him. Marik seemed unpredictable and, quite frankly, insane. So instead, he lost himself in his thoughts, and they all came around to his grandfather. Where was he? Was he all right? All he could do was pray that he was.

"Stay here." Marik said suddenly as he made his way out.

"Where are you going?" Yugi asked.

Marik didn't answer and exited the room. A part of Yugi was grateful for it. Now he felt like he could relax.

As he sat there, Yugi tried to figure out what could have happened to his grandfather and what he could do to find him. The problem was that he didn't even know where to start looking. Maybe if he went back to the gam shop, he could find a clue that he might of missed. It was worth a shot. And then after that . . .

 _"Yugi."_

He looked up, but no one was there. And why did the voice sound like it was coming from inside of him? "Who's there?"

A body began to materialize in front of him, making Yugi gasp. There, standing in front of him, was himself. And yet it wasn't himself. He had the same multicolored hair and was wearing his uniform, but he looked older and carried himself with confidence. The complete opposite of Yugi. Who was he? A ghost? He was in an abandoned building, after all. Or did some of Marik's previous insanity rub off on him, making him hallucinate? His other self smiled at him and walked towards him, stopping only a few inches away.

Yugi watched as his grin turned menacing. "Let's play a game."

* * *

Marik was glad to be out of there. The desire to torture Yugi was gone now, leaving him with his old feelings of hatred for the boy; the uncontrollable urge to either get as far away from him as he could or to end his miserable little life. All-in-all, he was glad that he was in control of his emotions again, but he found himself thinking about how it had felt. Now the memory seemed distant, as if it had never happened. As if it were someone else who had experienced it and he had merely watched. Marik shook his head. He needed to forget about it. But he didn't want to. It was wrong to think such things. But it had felt so right. He needed to find a way to quickly dispose of the Pharaoh without his sister knowing that he was responsible. But he wanted to torture and maim him, not caring whether she saw it or not.

He felt it returning but pushed it away. Marik couldn't afford to let his guard down. Not now. But it persisted, with greater force. His head began to pound, and he felt as if something were trying to take over his mind. Instead of fighting it, he allowed himself to slip into the state of mind from before. Whatever had been trying to force itself to surface subsided, as if it were satisfied. The logical part of his brain tried to figure out what was going on, but it was muffled by the longing of slowly carving off Yugi's skin, exposing the flesh underneath. Of breaking and crushing his bones. Of cutting out his tongue and making him choke on his own blood. Marik felt himself slipping away, finding it harder and harder to control his thoughts and actions, and his legs grew weak as his heart pounded in his chest. His tongue slid out, wanting to see more. No, experience it. He suddenly found himself heading back to the old building, the Millennium Item clutched tightly in his shaking hands. It wasn't until he reached the doorway that he caught himself. It was that same feeling as before, like someone was forcing their way into his mind and manipulating his movements and thoughts.

Once again he fought it off. He couldn't keep doing this. He needed to stay in control.

The headache returned, more painful now. Marik placed one hand against the wall for support and pressed the other against his screaming temple.

 _"You can't fight me."_ A voice inside of his mind told him. _"It's only a matter of time before I take control of your mind."_

Now he knew. His Past Life was trying to take over. And the Millennium Rod, which had protected him all these years, was now powerless against it. He couldn't let it win. Not before he killed the Pharaoh. If he lost himself before that, Rishid would fulfill Marik's request. Rishid would kill him.

Before Marik could decide what he should do, he felt something cold and sharp press against his throat.

"Sorry to interrupt." Bakura said from behind him. "But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to cut your life short."


	4. Chapter 4

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Mild violence and death

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/11/2015**

 _Re-uploaded._

 _I changed the scene with Yugi and Atem a bit._

* * *

"A game?" Yugi asked, confused.

His other self nodded before he reached into his school jacket, pulling out a gun. "Have you ever heard of Russian Roulette?"

He already didn't like where this was going. "Yeah, I have."

He handed the weapon to Yugi, that smile never leaving his face. "You can go first."

Yugi pushed it away. "No, I won't do it."

"This is a Shadow Game." His other self explained. "And it has already started."

"What are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, the other Yugi placed the gun against the side of his head.

"Wait!"

 _click_

Nothing happened, and Yugi let out a sigh of relief. But the reprieve didn't last long, for once more his other self prepared the gun for a second time.

"Stop!" Yugi tried to grab his arm, but his hands went through him. "Who are you? And why are you doing this?"

"Do you pass this turn also?" The other Yugi asked.

"What?"

"If you do, it's my turn again."

"It's nobody's turn!" Yugi helplessly watched as his other self began to pull the trigger. "Don't do this!"

 _click_

Yugi clenched his fists. This was torture. How could he stop him from doing this?

An idea suddenly entered his mind and he held out his hand. "Okay, I'll play your game."

The other Yugi silently handed over the gun and crossed his arms, waiting for Yugi to take his turn. But Yugi had other plans. He turned around and threw the gun out of the closest window. There, now neither of them had to die. But when Yugi faced his other self, his purple eyes widened. The gun was back, and it was in the other Yugi's hand once more.

"I already told you." The other Yugi explained. "This is a Shadow Game. And it won't stop until one of us is dead."

* * *

Marik's mind began racing as he felt the blade press against his throat. He didn't want to die until he killed the Pharaoh, but with his past self trying to take over, he was a dead man already. In the end, it all came down to who he wanted to kill him: Bakura or Rishid. The answer was obvious. But how could he save himself? The knife cut the skin open, and he could feel a drop of blood travel down his neck. What could he do to make Bakura stop? There was only one thing that might work. He clenched his teeth, hating himself for what he was about to say.

"Kill the Pharaoh."

"What?" Bakura asked, moving the knife slightly away from the other boy's throat, but keeping it close enough that he could instantly kill him if he tried anything.

"I don't have much time left." Marik turned his head towards him. "Go and kill him for me."

The white haired boy let out a chuckle as he put his knife away. "I'm not going to do it for you, but I will take you up on that offer."

"Just go." Marik said irritably. He was getting tired of Bakura, who seemed to love hearing himself talk.

Bakura grabbed Marik and pushed him face first against the wall before twisting the tanned boy's arm behind his back. "No one orders me around."

Marik winced as pain shot through his shoulder. Was Bakura planning on ripping his arm off? It sure felt like it. But then it suddenly stopped. He turned around and saw that Bakura was gone; probably on his way to kill the Pharaoh. Marik grabbed his throbbing shoulder and leaned against the wall, knowing that this was for the best. If he had gone back to Yugi, he knew that his Past Life would have completely taken over, and he only wanted to kill the Pharaoh if he was himself. And that option was gone now. All he could do was try to stay in control for as long as he could until he lost the battle. And then Rishid would end his life. Marik began to walk away from the building, unsure where he was going. He was void of all emotions, his mind a blank slate. Now he had no purpose in life. The Pharaoh would soon be dead. While he was disappointed that he didn't get to do it himself, it was better than the alternative. But now he had no reason to go on living. Now he wished that he had let Bakura kill him. Dying at his hands would have been better than this numbness.

A quick stab of pain like a bee sting hit the left side of Marik's neck and he felt himself becoming drowsy. The world around him began to spin and fade as his legs grew weak and collapsed underneath him. Marik didn't even try to figure out what was going on. He only hoped, as his eyes refused to stay open, that he would never wake up.

* * *

The other Yugi handed the gun to his shorter counterpart. "It's your turn."

Yugi stared at the lethal object. What should he do? If he didn't do anything and continued to do so, the boy who shared his appearance would die. But if he agreed to play the game, there was a chance that he might take the bullet instead.

He didn't have much time to decide. As he stood there, the other Yugi once more placed the gun in position. But before he could pull the trigger, Yugi held out his hand, telling him that he was ready for his turn. His other self handed it to him and waited as Yugi's hands shook. If the bullet was in this next round, it would penetrate his skull and puncture the brain. Would it be quick or slow? Peaceful and painful? He didn't want to think about it. Besides, he had already made his decision.

Yugi felt the cold metal touch his skin and his body stiffened, as if it were preparing for the blow that would come. With some effort, Yugi squeezed the trigger as he shut his eyes.

 _click_

He raised his lids slightly. There was no bullet in that one. But the next one might.

The other Yugi reached for the gun, ready for his turn, but Yugi stepped back, keeping the gun pressed against his head.

"Only one of us has to die, right?" Yugi could hear the fear in his own voice. "I don't know why we have to do this, but I'm not going to sit by and watch you kill yourself!"

Yugi felt his entire body tremble as his mind subconsciously told him that there had to be another way. He ignored it and continuously pulled the trigger, over and over again.

 _click_

 _click_

 _click_

 _clunk_

That last distinct sound could only mean one thing: the cylinder had come full circle. The gun had been empty.

Yugi dropped the gun and fell to his knees. "But . . . how?"

His other self let out a small chuckle and flicked his wrist and the gun that lay beside Yugi began to dissolve until it completely disappeared. "The gun wasn't real."

"Then what was the point of the game?" Yugi asked, feeling a mixture of relief and anger.

With a kind smile, his other self knelt down in front of him. "You believe that you are weak and a coward."

Yugi lowered his head. "That's because I am. All I could do was run away from that bug Monster, and I couldn't save that man or Grandpa."

"You're wrong. You refused to let me play the game and you sacrificed your own life to save mine." He placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "Your strength comes from your concern for others and putting them before yourself. No coward would risk his own life for someone else."

"But I'm still not strong enough."

"Not yet." His smile widened and he stood up before extending his hand to him.

Yugi reached out to grab his but stopped when they heard footsteps coming towards them.

"Pharaoh." Someone said in a singsong voice as fingers wrapped themselves around the doorframe and a pair of brown eyes appeared in the darkness.

"Run." Yugi's other self said before he, like the gun, dissolved into nothing.

Yugi didn't question him and dashed off through a second open doorway, desperately trying to find an exit. He ran down a long hallway and opened a door, which led to a large room with three more doors. Which one should he take? He heard his pursuer humming _Three Blind Mice_ as he opened the middle one and ran inside, only to find another room, this one with four doors. How big was this building? As he continued to enter room after room, the menacing voice went from humming to singing, but the words to the song were now different.

 _Cut and slice, Cut and slice,_  
 _See your blood run, see your blood run,_  
 _They all ran and begged for life,_  
 _I cut off their heads with a carving knife,_  
 _I will follow you and I will end your life,_  
 _With a single slice._

He could feel his heart pound against his chest and cold sweat ran down his back, making his clothes stick to his body. Who was following him? Was it one of those people that Marik talked about, who wanted the Pharaoh's power? When the voice began to sing the song again, he wanted to cover his ears. But he couldn't. If he did, he wouldn't be able to hear how far away they were or in what direction. He tried to ignore the gruesome words as he opened yet another door. He had finally found the exit. Yugi ran into the narrow alley, hoping that he had lost him.

Someone grabbed the back of his shirt and kicked his legs out from under him, causing Yugi to land on his back as his head hit the hard pavement. His vision blackened for a moment and pain shot through him as a white haired figure holding a knife stood over him.

"Bakura?" But he didn't look quite like the Ryo Bakura he knew. Something was different.

Bakura grinned from ear-to-ear as he placed his foot on Yugi's throat and pushed down, choking him. "Come out, Pharaoh. Or are you going to let Yugi die?"

Yugi tried to push Bakura's foot away, but to no avail. Bakura went in and out of focus, and he felt lightheaded as more pressure was applied. Bakura laughed as he watched Yugi's face change color, loving every moment of it.

"He won't survive much longer, Pharaoh." Bakura said tauntingly. "Come out and-"

Bakura grimaced and reached for something on his neck, pulling it out of him before holding it in the palm of his hand. A small tranquilizer dart. Now it was Bakura's turn to feel dizzy. He stepped away from Yugi on wobbly legs as the spiky haired boy grabbed at his throat and coughed while trying to get oxygen into his starving lungs. The knife slipped from Bakura's fingers and he fell to the ground before completely blacking out. Yugi wondered what had happened and got ready to run again when he too was shot and went unconscious.

* * *

Rishid and Ishizu watched helplessly as Marik, Yugi, and Bakura were dragged to an armored truck and thrown into the back like old luggage.

"We must save Marik and the Pharaoh." Ishizu said.

"We can't risk it." Rishid explained, indicating the twelve or more men who were all on high alert as they held up their guns. "We will follow them and wait for the right moment."

Ishizu knew he was right. If they tried to save their brother now, they would surely fail. She touched her Millennium Tauk and wished that she wasn't so helpless. If only she had an Item that could save him, or at least make her feel useful. But now she couldn't even use what little power it had anymore. If only there was something that she could do. Was she destined to always sit on the sidelines as she watched her family fall apart?

As these thoughts ran through her mind, the armored truck roared to life and drove off. Rishid and Ishizu followed, remembering to stay far enough away to not be spotted, until the vehicle came to a full stop in front of a tall skyscraper. Ishizu and Rishid stayed out of sight as they watched the three teenage boys being carried into Kaiba Corp.

* * *

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Anzu asked as their taxi hit another rock, causing it to bounce.

"I'm not the one who's drivin'!" Jonouchi answered.

They had been on this dirt road heading up the mountainside for quite some time now, and the rough path made them constantly bump into each other and occasionally hit their heads against the glass on the doors. And Anzu, who was sandwiched in the middle and getting squashed every ten seconds, was getting sick of it. But she kept herself from blowing a fuse by thinking about Yugi. They had found nothing when they had searched for him around the game shop, so now they could only hope that Yugi had already gone after his grandfather and that they would find him there. If not, than it was up to them and them alone to rescue Sugoroku Mutou from Pegasus. How they were going to do that was still unclear. They had decided to form a plan after they had arrived at the mansion, to see what they were up against before making a move.

Suddenly the car stopped, causing all of the backseat passengers to lurch forward and hit their heads on the back of the seats in front of them. The driver got out and started inspecting the taxi as the three teenagers tried to wait patiently, hoping it was nothing serious and that they could continue on as soon as possible. When the driver came to their window, their hopes were crushed.

"I'm afraid that I can't take you any further."

"Just great!" Anzu exclaimed.

"I guess we're walking." Honda said as he started to get out.

"It's still miles away." Jonouchi pointed out.

"Just think of it as a school field trip."

"Since when do field trips have kidnapped grandpas?"

Anzu sighed before opening her door. "Let's just get this over with."

"We'd better hurry." Honda said, looking up at the sky. "We've probably only got a few hours of daylight left."

Anzu shivered. "Does that mean we'll have to sleep out here?"

"That's not a very good idea." The driver told them, taking off his hat to scratch his head. "There are a lot of wild boars on this mountain."

"Wild boars?" Anzu repeated, feeling very nervous.

The driver nodded. "And people have reported seeing bears, too."

Now it was Jonouchi's turn to repeat him. "Bears?"

"And of course there are all the snakes." He said, stroking his chin.

"Snakes?" Now all of them had said the name of a dangerous animal.

"And just last month a young couple went hiking up here and never returned."

"How long would it take for us ta call another taxi ta take us home?" Jonouchi asked.

Anzu took in a deep breath and began storming up the path. "We didn't come all this way to turn tail and run!" She stopped and glared down at Jonouchi and Honda. "Are you guys coming or not?!"

"Yes, mam!" They said in unison before following her as the driver waved them off.

* * *

Sugoroku Mutou groaned and opened his eyes, only to find that he was in complete darkness. He slowly sat up as he tried to remember what had happened. After he had answered the door, two men had grabbed him. After that Mr. Mutou tried to fight them off as best he could, but they punched him in the jaw and rammed his stomach with a knee before throwing him into a car's trunk. They had driven for a while, and when the car had stopped they opened the trunk and knocking him out. And now he didn't know where he was, or why they had kidnapped him in the first place. Did it have something to do with Yugi and the Pharaoh? As he asked himself this and various other questions, he realized that his hands and feet were bound together with rope. But before he could try to untie himself, a bright light suddenly appeared in front of him, blinding him momentarily, until he saw that a door had opened and someone came into view. A teenage boy with long black hair in a ponytail. His headband matched his red and black clothes and he had a dice earring on his left ear.

The boy placed a hand on his hip and smiled down at him. "How do you like your room, old man? Sorry that there isn't much of a view."

"Leave my grandson alone!" Mr. Mutou demanded.

"I'm not the one who's interested in him. I didn't even know about the Pharaoh until Pegasus told me about it."

"Pegasus?"

The boy spun a long of hair around his finger. "You probably don't remember me, do you?" Yugi's grandfather blinked in confusion. That question came out of the blue. It seemed as if the boy was lost in his own world, performing in a play where only he knew the script. He continued on before Mr. Mutou could respond. "I was only a kid back then." His green eyes filled with hatred. "Back when you killed my father."

Realization dawned on him. "Are you Ryuji Otogi?" His brow creased. "But, I didn't kill your father. He-"

"You are the reason he died!" Even though his words were loud and harsh, his body language and emotions remained calm. "You're the reason he went insane and ended up killing himself!"

Yugi's grandfather lowered his head. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"You're sorry?" Ryuji laughed. "Sorry isn't going to bring him back."

"I said that I was sorry to hear that. What happened wasn't my fault."

Ryuji glared down at him before regaining his composure. "Pegasus let me be in change of taking care of you, which means your life is in my hands."

"Just let me explain what happened."

"I already know what happened."

"If you did know, we wouldn't be having this conversation." Mr. Mutou said, his patience wearing thin.

"How about we see how long you can cling on to your sanity after being locked up in here for twenty four hours." The black haired boy began to leave the way he came. "See you tomorrow, old man."

Mr. Mutou opened his mouth to say something, but the door closed behind Ryuji before he could utter a word.

* * *

When Yugi woke up, he wondered if he was dreaming. The last thing he remembered was being choked by Bakura in a dark alley, and now he was sitting in a comfortable chair in a large office. Or at least, it would have been comfortable if his hands and feet weren't tied to it. While Yugi tried to loosen the restraints, he looked at his surroundings. In front of him was a desk with a name plate that read: Gozaburo Kaiba. Behind the desk was the back of a chair, the front facing a wall sized window. Yugi tried to make sense out of all this. Was Gozaburo a relative of Seto Kaiba? Were they working together to get the Pharaoh's power?

"So, you're finally awake." He knew that voice.

"Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed and the chair in front of him turned around, revealing his classmate.

"Hello, Yugi."

"What are you doing here?" He looked at the name plate again. "And who's Gozaburo?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself." Kaiba gestured towards a couch to Yugi's right. On it was a man with gray hair and wearing a maroon colored suit. He was laying on his back, and blood was slowly seeping out of a hole in his head.

"How could you?!" Yugi shouted.

"As if I would actually kill someone." Kaiba said with a smile as he crossed his arms. "I asked him to step down and one of my men shot him. He's been known to be trigger happy."

"What do you want? Are you after the Pharaoh's power too?"

"Look," Kaiba placed his elbows on the desk and intertwined his fingers, "I don't know anything about this supposed Pharaoh's power; and quite frankly, I don't care. But my father wanted it and thought it would make him a lot of money and increase his status. And he wasn't the only one."

Yugi heard a door open and close behind him before Kaiba's little brother came into view, who walked over to the desk. "They're on their way, Seto."

"Thank you, Mokuba." Kaiba said flatly.

The little boy looked at Yugi and sneered. "You're going to make my big brother famous, Yugi. You had better cooperate or-"

"That's enough, Mokuba."

The black haired boy quickly turned towards his brother. "I was only trying to help!"

"I don't need your help." Kaiba's eyelids lowered. "Now get out of my office."

Mokuba looked like he had been punched in the gut. He slowly made his way across the room, throwing Yugi an angry glance as he did, and then he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Who are on their way?" Yugi asked.

"As I said, my father isn't the only one who was after you. This 'Pharaoh's power' has been around for a while, and in that time a lot of people have tried to get their hands on it. I've heard that no one has ever been able to get it." Kaiba grinned. "Until now."

"What are you going to do to me?"

"I'm going to sell you to the highest bidder. I personally don't care about your supposed powers. But whatever you have, it had better be good. I don't want to disappoint my clients."

"But I don't have any powers!" Or at least, he didn't think he did. Marik had said that the Pharaoh could control Monsters, or something like that, but he had been powerless against the praying mantis.

"You should hope you do, Yugi. For your own sake."


	5. Chapter 5

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Explicit violence and death

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/11/2015**

 _Re-uploaded._

* * *

Marik felt a sharp pain in his shoulder - the same one that Bakura had almost dislocated - and rolled onto his back with a groan. His lavender eyes fluttered open and was met with a high ceiling that faded into blackness, chains dangling from it as they ever so slightly swayed back and forth, creating an ominous chorus of echoes. He used his elbows to right himself into a sitting position and examined the rest of the room. It resembled a dungeon. There were no windows, the only light coming from torches that hung on the walls; there was an iron barred door that was now a copper color from the rust that covered it; and across from him was Bakura, who was laying on his stomach, his eyes closed. When Marik saw the manacle around the white haired boy's wrist he looked at his own, which had been given the same treatment. A long chain connected their manacles together and the middle of the chain hung from a metal hoop that was screwed into the wall. He also noticed that, instead of the room being the typical square shape, their prison had three walls, with the metal hoop wedged between two walls at the point of the triangle and the door at the bottom of it.

"Bakura." Marik called out, but his cellmate didn't answer.

The Egyptian cursed and got to his feet with some effort before walking towards Bakura, the chain rattling behind him. When he reached him, Marik checked to see if he was still alive. The boy's back rose and fell with his steady breathing, telling him that he was. Strange. Most people look peaceful when they were asleep. But even in his current state, Bakura still looked dangerous; like a sleeping lion that you knew could wake up at any moment and attack. When Marik bent down to shake his shoulder, hoping to wake him up, Bakura's brown eyes flashed open before they targeted the tanned boy, the rest of his body remaining motionless, making Marik jolt backward, almost making him lose his balance.

Bakura must have found this amusing because he laughed as he pushed himself up and leaned his back against the wall before he looked at their surroundings. "I've woken up in worst places." He said with a smile.

"Do you know where were are?" Marik asked, sitting cross-legged on the cold floor.

"No idea." Bakura said with a shrug. "But I kind of like it here." He placed his hands behind the back of his head. "It's got a good atmosphere. A sort of charm."

Marik ignored him. "We can try to unlock the manacles first. If that doesn't work, we can work on that." He eyed the hoop in the wall.

"You do that." After placing one of his long legs over the other, Bakura closed his eyes and remained silent.

Marik didn't know if he should be relieved or ticked off. Sure, now he didn't have to listen to him rattling on, but he could at least try to help him escape. Didn't he care that they might end up spending the rest of their lives in here? Marik would rather put himself out of his misery than let that happen.

"Did you kill the Pharaoh?" Marik asked as he tried to find a weakness in his manacle. He found none.

"No, I'm afraid I didn't." He casually explained. "I was knocked out before I could. And now it looks like I won't be able to."

"You don't seem very concerned about it."

Bakura's eyelids lifted slightly. "I just know that trying to get out is pointless." He leaned forward and looked at his restrained wrist. "We would have more luck simply waiting for someone to come by."

Marik glared at him. "That isn't an option."

"It's our only option." His smile grew as he went back to his previous position. "If you want to waste what little energy you have left in trying to escape, please be my guest."

A smirk played on Marik's lips and his eyes became cruel. "Or maybe you don't want to leave." Bakura's smug grin faded as he continued. "Maybe you're hiding in shame because you failed to kill someone as weak as Yugi."

Bakura scowled. "I should kill you for that."

"I don't think you can."

Bakura's smile returned as he began to lift himself up, his fingers curled inward like claws. "I'll have fun trying."

The iron door began to creak open, making the two teenagers stop to look. They watched it as it sluggishly swung inward until it hit the wall with a soft clank, causing the entire room to fill with more echoes. At first they thought that the door had simply been unlocked the whole time, but then a figure with a large frame walked into the firelight. His face was almost completely covered with pieces of rough fabric that were sloppily sewn together, only exposing crazed eyes and crooked teeth; his hair was spiked up as if he had placed his finger in a light socket; he wore a tattered T-shirt and pants that were covered with filth; and with large hands he held up a chainsaw.

The disheveled man chuckled like a kid in a candy store. "I cud you ub!"

* * *

After his meeting with Kaiba, Yugi was taken away by two men that were wearing the same attire as the three who had tried to shoot him in Burger World and was thrown into a small room that was void of any furnishings before they slammed the door shut. after that, all was silent. Yugi sat in the middle of his prison as he tried to decide what to do next. Trying to open the door was probably pointless. There were no windows or other possible openings. He was trapped.

 _"Don't worry."_ His other self materialized in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest and a comforting smile on his face. "You will find a way out of this."

"Who are you?" Yugi asked.

"I'm not sure." His other self frowned thoughtfully. "One day I remember something about my past only for it to be gone the next. It's like my memories are pieces of a puzzle that are constantly being assembled and reassembled in my mind."

"What do you remember now?" The short boy asked, concern on his young face.

He closed his eyes in concentration. "I remember . . . a tree."

"A tree?"

As images of its branches swaying in the wind and a little girl giving him a broad grin flashed through his mind, Yugi's other self waved his hand dismissively. "It isn't important. Right now we have to get out of here."

"But how?"

Before he could answer, the door opened and his other self disappeared. Yugi stood up, hoping it was a friendly face, and Mokuba stepped inside. He was smiling and holding up a small platter that held a kid sized burger, which made Yugi think about his conversation with Marik. Where was Marik, anyway? Did he return to find that Yugi was missing? Was he out there looking for him? Marik's moment of insanity made Yugi hope that he didn't find him, even if it meant not being rescued.

"I was able to bring you some food." Mokuba said. "I hope you like it. It's one of my favorites."

Yugi grabbed the platter when it was handed to him. "Are you sure this is okay?"

The little boy placed his hands behind his head. "Just because you're our prisoner doesn't mean you should starve to death."

Yugi didn't like how he had said 'our prisoner' so casually but, "Thanks."

He bit into it and he could tell right away that it was a kid's meal. There was something about them that was different from regular food. Like something was missing or wrong with it. No, it wasn't the burger itself that was wrong.

Yugi grabbed at his throat. It was burning, as if he had just swallowed acid. When the poison reached his stomach, making white foam burst out of his mouth, he fell to his knees, his chest feeling like it was being compressed by a flaming hot iron while his entire body convulsed, causing him to lose his balance and collapse on his side.

Mokuba snickered. "You'll die in ten minutes if I don't give you the antidote." He pulled out a small glass vial with a cork sealing the top. Inside was a clear liquid. "I heard you tell my brother that you don't have any powers. If you really don't, my brother will look like a fool in front of his clients." As his smile grew, he shook the antidote's container, causing the substance to splash around inside. "Show me your powers and I'll give you the antidote. If you don't, you can just die."

* * *

"Cobe here." The man said as he swung his weapon at Marik, who was able to jump out of the way, causing the chain to pull on Bakura's arm, who stumbled backward.

"Stop that!" Bakura shouted before ducking in time to avoid having his head cut off.

The man laughed. "You can'd esgape Choppy!"

This was bad. Marik looked at the chain that bound him and Bakura together. It was fairly long, but it was still difficult to move around without causing the other to be pulled. And if one of them yanked too hard, it might cause the other to fall to the ground, giving the chainsaw wielding man an ideal opportunity to end their life. And there wasn't a lot of room for movement. The two walls made it cramped, and their attacker's broad shouldered body didn't help. Worst of all, he saw that they were being herded further and further towards where the two walls touched, where they would be trapped. They had to stop him before that happened.

"Bakura!" Marik shouted, pointing at the hoop. "Stand over there to give me enough slack so that I can get behind him!"

"No one gives me orders!" The murderous glint in his eye was brighter than the chainsaw man's.

"It's the only way to get out of this!" Marik avoided another blow.

"Choppy wod led you do dat!" The man raised the chainsaw over his head and tried to slice Marik in half.

The tanned boy dodged it, landing a few inches away from the hoop. The man loomed over him, giving Marik no room to avoid his strikes. This was it. He was going to die in here, chopped up into unrecognizable pieces by a lunatic.

After a few wheezy chuckles, Choppy once again pointed the blade into the air, as if he were about to chop up firewood, while he gave Marik a childish smile, exposing his yellowing teeth. However, before he could make the fatal strike, a pair of pale arms wrapped around his neck. The man stumbled and was about to swing the chainsaw into whoever was clinging onto him, but his attacker was quicker. Fingers plunged into one of the man's eye sockets, making Choppy yowl in pain before his eyeball was ripped out of his head. Again the man positioned his weapon to cut into them. With great force he brought it down on them. But they had let go, letting the blade slice into the man's own back.

The roar of the motor from the chainsaw competed with the man's screams as blood flew from his body, sending great waves of red liquid sailing across the room. Giant spatters hit the walls, as if he were unwillingly painting them. He spun around, the chainsaw still grinding into his flesh, and more blood sprayed from him and landed on Marik, some of it going into his mouth. As he tried to spit it out, the metallic flavor refusing to leave, the man finally stopped screaming and stood like a frightening statue before he dropped the chainsaw and fell to his knees, his thick arms resting limply at his sides. His breathing was even more ragged than before and his remaining eye was unfocused as whatever blood was left in him poured out of his open wound. If the man had been facing away from Marik, the blood covered boy would have seen that his spine was exposed, chucks of it chipped off from the merciless blades.

Bakura, whose brown eyes were the only thing that weren't bathed in blood, slowly walked towards the dying man and stood in front of him. At first he just watched him, as if he were patiently waiting for the man's soul to leave his body, and then without warning, he dug his fingernails into the man's throat and began ripping it open. His victim made gargling noises as Bakura tore open a gaping hole. When it was big enough, Bakura reached inside and grabbed the man's windpipe, tearing it out. Bakura smiled and kicked the body over, which landed in the crimson puddle, before he turned to Marik, the windpipe still in his hand. It made a squelching noise as he squeezed it.

"It looks like your plan worked." Bakura said with a smirk. "You deserve a medal."

He tossed the windpipe to Marik, who let it land in front of his feet, and then Bakura lustily placed his tongue on his forearm and let it slide past his wrist and to his fingers before be began sucking the liquid off of them. As he did, Marik bent over and threw up.

* * *

"Use your power!" Mokuba demanded, growing impatient.

Yugi could barely hear him through his throbbing head and the sound of his own ragged breathing. His hand occasionally twitched of its own accord and he felt like his organs were screaming out in pain. If he did in fact have some kind of awesome power, it wasn't stopping his insides from melting. And even if it could, he didn't even have the strength to use it. Mokuba must of realized this because he kicked Yugi's side in frustration.

"You're useless!" He shouted before holding the vial over his head, probably intending to throw it to the ground and shatter it. But someone grabbed it and yanked antidote out of his grasp. "What the-?!" Mokuba turned around and stood face-to-face with Ishizu. "How did you get past our security?"

Ishizu looked down at the little boy with a straight poker face and admonished, "You will step aside and let me save the Pharaoh."

The little boy gave her a crooked grin before reaching into his pants pocket, pulling out a stun gun. "If you don't leave right now I'll-!"

With a swift kick, the handheld weapon flew from his hand and hit the wall before crashing onto the ground. Mokuba stood there, too stunned to move, until Ishizu loomed over him, her shadow plunging him into darkness. He trembled before running out of the room, shouting all the while about how he was going to tell his older brother, who would have his revenge for treating his precious family member in such a rough manner. Knowing that there wasn't much time left, Ishizu popped off the cork before kneeling down, holding up Yugi's head as she poured the water-like liquid into his mouth.

He blinked up at her. "W-who-?" He couldn't get the rest of the words out. His throat felt like it had been scraped with sandpaper.

"Don't speak, my Pharaoh." She told him. "Just rest. And once you feel up to it, we will leave this place."

* * *

"Are you done yet?" Bakura asked impassively as Marik wiped his chin with the sleeve of his school uniform. "If you are, you can help me search him. He might have the key that unlocks these." He grabbed the chain in both hands, making it slack and then taut for emphasis.

"I doubt he has them." Marik said, coughing when he heard how hoarse his voice was.

Bakura crossed his arms. "Than what do you suggest?"

"I don't know . . ." Marik answered, his eyes downcast.

After letting out a strange cross between a snort and a groan, Bakura scanned the room and looked at the chainsaw, which had turned off when it fell, a smile spreading across his blood soaked face. "Maybe if I cut off your arm."

They both looked at each other and then at the weapon before lunging for it, landing flat on their stomachs and reaching out with their free hands. But the chain cut them short, their bloody fingertips only grazing it. Marik wished he had his Millennium Rod, which must have been taken from him before they put the two of them in here. He needed to get it back. Not only as a tool to cut off Bakura's limb, but also to prevent his Past Life from taking hold of him. He was quite surprised that it hadn't happened already. This would be the perfect opportunity to do it. What was his past self waiting for? Maybe he wanted Marik to unchain himself first, so he wouldn't have to do the work himself. Marik could only guess.

Bakura made a growling noise in the back of his throat. "Of all the people to be stuck with, it had to be you."

There was a long silence before Marik spoke. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?" Bakura asked while rolling his brown eyes.

Marik looked at the dead man, who was only inches away from Bakura. "He was practically dead. Why did you do that?"

"Why did I rip out his throat?" He asked with a chuckle that made Marik shiver. "I've always wanted to try it. I just saw it as the perfect opportunity. Although I must say, I was expecting . . . more."

Marik wondered if the white haired boy's thirst for blood was anything like what he had felt when he imagined Yugi being tortured in horrific ways. No. Bakura seemed to love the thrill of killing and being responsible for cutting his victim's life short, while his Past Life enjoyed making people suffer; watching them squirm and beg for it all to end. The memory made Marik lick his lips.

"Does your offer still stand?" Bakura asked.

"What?"

He looked at Marik, placing his chin in his hand. "If we get out of this mess, you'll let me kill the Pharaoh?"

Marik smiled slightly. "You would kill him whether I let you or not."

Bakura laughed, and for a moment Marik forgot that they were laying in a pool of blood with a corpse. That they both wanted to murder their classmate. That they may stay trapped down here as they slowly died from dehydration and starvation. But only for a moment. And then reality sunk back in.

"We could die down here." Marik said as he stared at his hands, wishing he could wash the blood off of them.

Bakura shrugged. "There are worse places to die."

"Because this place has a good atmosphere." Marik said, which made Bakura let out a small chuckle, before crossing his arms and resting his head on them. "There aren't many who would laugh in the face of death the way you do."

"When you've seen as much death as I have, you can't help but find the humor in it."

"You think that death is funny?"

"Of course." His smile widened. "Think about it. People go about their daily lives, pretending that nothing could ever happen to them. They pretend they're immortal until a knife is in their chest." Bakura laughed. "It's hilarious."

"Does that mean you'll kill me when you get bored?"

"No, you're much more amusing alive."

This took Marik aback and it took him a moment to ask, "Why is that?"

"Because you're already dead. Metaphorically, I mean." He quickly explained when he saw the confused look on Marik's face. "You don't pretend like everyone else. You seem to have accepted the fact that you will die someday and you embrace it. It makes you seem lifeless in a way, if that makes sense."

"Not really."

"That's why I much prefer talking to corpses. They don't need things explained to them."


	6. Chapter 6

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Blood and mild violence

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/12/2015**

 _Re-uploaded._

* * *

"What?!" Kaiba asked in disbelief, standing from his chair and slamming the palm of his hands against the top of the office desk. "We have intruders who are after the Pharaoh?!"

Mokuba nodded. "That's right! I was trying to get some information out of him and-!"

"I don't care about the details." He said, holding up a hand for silence. "Just tell security to be on the lookout. We can't risk losing the Pharaoh now."

"But-!"

"That's an order, Mokuba!"

The little boy looked up at him with pleading eyes, wanting to explain to Kaiba how that woman had treated him, making his older brother show concern and promise to track her down himself, to show that he cared. But all he got in return were two blue eyes that were harsh and without sympathy. The same as they always were. Or at least, ever since they were adopted by Gozaburo. Before that, Seto had always been there for him. Even though the orphanage they lived in was terrible, they were happy because they had each other. But now . . .

Mokuba stormed off, clenching his tiny fists. He knew it wasn't Yugi's fault, but he decided to blame him anyway. He wanted to put all of his anger and frustration into something that he could destroy. And destroy him he shall. Once he was gone, Kaiba would pay attention to him again. Deep down he knew this wasn't true, but this lie made him feel better.

When Mokuba left the room, Seto Kaiba looked out the window and wondered if he should postpone the meeting with his clients until this whole mess was sorted out. No. He had promised them the Pharaoh and they were already on their way. He would just have to pretend that everything was normal and trust that his staff would be able to stop the intruders before they arrived.

The phone beeped twice, snapping him out of his thoughts, and he pressed a button. "What is it?"

"Mr. Kaiba, the lower floor has been breached."

The lower floor. Were they trying to rescue the two prisoners he had put down there with the Chopman? "Wait for them when they come back up. And then shoot them on sight."

* * *

"You said once that you didn't have much time left." Bakura said as he pulled a chip of dried blood out of his hair. "What did you mean by that?"

"My Past Life is trying to take over. When he does, my soul will be devoured by the shadows."

Bakura snorted and then started laughing so hard that he rolled onto his back, holding his stomach as he did. What was so funny? But of course, this was Bakura, who thought that death was one big joke. While he waited for him to stop his fit of hysteria, Marik saw the chainsaw man's eyeball, which Bakura had dropped earlier, and it stared back at him. He looked away, but he could feel that it was still there, making him shiver.

"What gave you that idea?" Bakura finally asked after he had calmed down.

"Isn't that what happens?"

"No." He chuckled. "Nothing like that."

Marik became silent for a while. He had always been told that when someone's Past Life took control of the body, the previous owner was pushed out; like a Cuckoo bird putting their egg in another bird's nest, only to have the baby hatch and push the other eggs out, letting them fall and crack open when they collided with the ground below. "Than what does happen?"

"If it does happen, you will simply be dormant until he lets you take over again." Bakura pointed to himself. "How do you think I was able to fool Yugi and his friends all this time? I simply let him have control until I felt like coming out."

"But I can't choose to be in control?"

"I can't vouch for everybody, but my host hasn't been able to take control from me yet."

Marik supposed that that was better than being consumed by darkness, but still . . .

"Marik!" That voice. But it couldn't be.

It was.

Rishid stared wide-eyed at the carnage around him. He covered his mouth, either to block out the strong smell of blood or to prevent himself from throwing up, and then he staggered across the room and held up a ring of keys and Marik's Millennium Item, both of which had been in the other room. He bent down and unlocked the manacle around Marik's wrist before giving him the rod. And then he turned towards Bakura, who glared up at him.

"Unlock his too." Marik said as he rubbed his sore wrist, which had formed a purple bruise.

"Are you sure?" Rishid asked. "After he did all of this?"

Bakura grinned and cocked his head to one side as he crossed his arms. "How do you know Marik didn't do it?"

"Marik isn't capable of it."

Marik hung his head. If only Rishid knew of the sick fantasies that had consumed his mind.

"Everyone is capable." Bakura said. "Most just choose not to."

"How did you find me?" Marik asked as Rishid, who was glaring at Bakura, began working on the white haired boy's manacle. "Did the Millennium Tauk show you where we were?"

"No." Rishid answered. "Ishizu hasn't been able to see the future ever since you left."

At first Marik stood there in disbelief, and then his body stiffened before shaking with anger. He had resisted killing the Pharaoh because he had thought that Ishizu would see him do it. But all this time, he could have gotten away with it. He tightened his grip around the Millennium Rod as Bakura watched him with a cocked eyebrow, not knowing why Marik seemed so upset all of a sudden. And then his brown eyes widened when Marik stood over Rishid, who was trying to get the key in the blood soaked lock, and raised the Rod over his head, his eyes filled with blind rage as he brought it down on Rishid, who fell to the ground as blood seeped from the wound on the back of his head. He was still alive, but unconscious. Marik stood there, breathing heavily as his entire body trembled. Bakura looked up at him in complete shock. And, quite frankly, respect.

Marik straightened up and looked at Bakura as he smiled. "Let's go and kill the Pharaoh."

Bakura grinned from ear-to-ear. It looked like this boy would be quite entertaining.

* * *

"Come on, guys." Honda, who was ahead of the others, said as he looked at the map. "It's not that much further."

"That's what ya said hours ago." Jonouchi said.

"We've only been walking for an hour and a half."

"It feels like it's been ages." Anzu, who had lost her bravado and stamina after trudging through the thick foliage and jumping at every little noise, groaned before leaning against a tree. "Can't we take a break?"

"Yeah." Jonouchi agreed. "We should renew our energy."

"If we stop for too long we'll be stuck out here at night." Honda explained. "We need the daylight so we don't get lost."

"I know, but-" Anzu stopped when she heard rustling in the bushes to her right. She screamed and jumped back a full foot.

"What is it?" Jonouchi asked as he and Honda ran over to her.

"T-t-t-there's something in there!" Anzu managed to say, pointing at the bush.

The three of them stared at it, expecting a deadly wild animal to lunge at them. Whatever it was, it continued to rustle the leafs, staying hidden and not revealing its identity, until finally it stepped out into the open.

"A baby?" Jonouchi exclaimed as he looked down at a small baby boar, who looked up at them with curious eyes. "We got all worked up over a baby?!"

Anzu, who loved all things cute, picked the boar up, who rubbed his muzzle against her nose. "Isn't he adorable?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Honda told her.

"Why not?"

As she asked this, the baby's mom, who was as big as the taxi they had come up the mountain in, let out a loud squeal as she jumped out of hiding. Anzu quickly put the baby down before the three teenagers ran as fast as they could, not bothering to look behind them. If they had, they would have seen that the mama boar had lost interest in them and was nuzzling her baby, who completely ignored the excitement that had just taken place.

When they were sure that they were a good enough distance away, they finally stopped and dropped to the ground as they tried to breathe.

"I thought we were goners!" Jonouchi said.

"Next time," Honda said to Anzu, "don't play with the wildlife."

"I'm sorry, okay?" She said huffily, crossing her arms.

"Hey, guys." Their blond friend pointed at something in front of them. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we found the mansion."

Sure enough, just beyond the cluster of trees they were currently in, was a giant building that looked more like a modern castle than a mansion.

"We'll rest here and stake it out tomorrow." Honda told them, and his friends let out a sigh of relief before laying down in the grass.

Anzu rolled onto her side as she thought about Yugi and his grandfather. "I hope they're okay."

* * *

Marik and Bakura ran up the spiral staircase, the dried blood that was covering their bodies cracking and peeling off; the flames from the torches flickering as they ran past. And they were both smiling. But for different reasons.

Marik was still feeling the adrenaline of what he had done. A part of him felt guilty and wanted to turn back, to make sure that Rishid - who had always supported him and stayed by his side - was all right. At the same time, he wanted to get as far away from his brother as possible so that he wouldn't have to face him. He also felt free for the very first time in his life and was proud of what he had done. Now nothing was holding him back and he felt like he could do anything.

Bakura was enjoying watching the boy slowly descend like a fallen angel from the sky. There was something amusing about it; seeing someone change from one thing to another in such a short amount of time. When he had first seen him, Marik always seemed depressed and dead to the world. But now there was life in his eyes. Not the kind that Bakura loved to snuff out. The kind that you knew would someday cause him to crash and burn. And he wanted to see that happen.

When they made it to the top steps, they were met with a firing squad.

Five men all pointed their guns at them, getting ready to shoot and kill them where they stood. Marik's eyelids lowered and he stepped forward, making the men nervously step back, wondering what this boy who was covered in blood was going to do. He held up the Millennium Rod in a nonthreatening manner and it began to glow. The armed men once again took aim, but as they looked at the bright orb, their consciousness slipped from them and their eyes glazed over as they lowered their weapons.

"Leave." Marik demanded.

As the five men began to do as he commanded, Bakura frowned. He had hoped that Marik would order them to shoot themselves. That would have been fun. Watching them place their guns against their temples before blood and brains spattered out of their heads and splattered on the wall. Marik hadn't hit the bottom yet. He still had some innocence left. He should have known this, considering that Marik had let Rishid live. A sudden thought came to Bakura. Maybe Marik had never killed before. If that was the case, he would have to change that.

The two of them began searching the building, and when they happened to come across two more gun wielding men, Marik used the opportunity to brainwash them before asking for the Pharaoh's location. As they ran in the opposite direction of the two brain dead men, Bakura's hands twitched, wishing he had a weapon. While they had left Marik's Millennium Rod, someone had decided to walk off with his knife. He wasn't too upset about it. He needed a new one anyway. It had become dull from being used so often. But he couldn't stand watching all of these security guards being left alive. It was like being a starving man who was forced to walk past an orchard of apple trees. He craved death. And he wanted Marik to feel that craving.

When they reached the room where the Pharaoh was being held, they stopped in the open doorway and saw Ishizu, watching over Yugi like an overprotective mother. She looked up at them and gasped upon seeing the blood.

"Where is Rishid?" She asked, worry in her blue eyes.

"After he helped us escape, we were attacked and got separated." Marik said, and Bakura marveled at how easy it was for the boy to lie so effortlessly.

Ishizu looked at the floor. "I hope he is all right."

"Why don't you go and look for him." Bakura said, noticing the impatience in his voice.

She shook her head. "I must stay with the Pharaoh. And the two of you would have a much better chance of finding him."

Bakura clenched and unclenched his fist. It would be so easy to snap her neck.

Yugi blinked, but everything remained a fuzzy blur. And their voices were muddled, making it impossible to make out what they were talking about. Who was the women who had saved him talking to? He felt so helpless, and he found himself thinking about how easily Mokuba had almost killed him. Yugi had always tried to trust everyone, but now he wondered if he should change that.

"But you can't protect him on your own." Marik pointed out. "Find Rishid and we'll take the Pharaoh outside to safety and wait for you."

At first it looked like she was going to protest, but then she nodded. "Yes. That is probably the best plan." She carefully lay Yugi on the floor before she silently left the room to find her older brother.

"I would have preferred killing her, but I guess this will have to do." Bakura said, and his smile disappeared when he saw his companion. "Are you all right?"

Marik had his hand over his face and he looked like he was fighting off a massive headache. "I'm fine." He managed to say through clenched teeth. "Just grab the Pharaoh and let's get out of here."

"Why don't we just kill him right now?" Bakura asked before turning towards Yugi with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Yugi is defenseless. It shouldn't take long to drive the Pharaoh out and-"

He stopped talking when he felt a sharp blade pierce his lower back.


	7. Chapter 7

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Blood

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/12/2015**

 _Re-uploaded._

 _I changed the scene with Bakura a bit._

* * *

"Well?" Honda asked when his friends ran back to their meeting spot.

"I didn't see anyone from where I was standin'" Jonouchi said after he ran back to their hiding spot.

"Yeah." Anzu added. "There aren't any guards on the north side either."

"Weird." Honda wrinkled his brow. "You would think that with them expecting Yugi, they would have _somebody_ watching out for him."

Jonouchi's eyelids lowered. "Unless they already have 'em."

While Anzu hated the idea of her friend being held against his will, she secretly hoped that he had been captured. Because if he hadn't, his whereabouts would remain unknown to them. If he was inside that mansion, they could rescue him.

"Let's not waste anymore time." Honda said, grabbing a stick and drawing a circle in the dirt. "This is the mansion."

"Looks more like a crummy drawin' of a ball ta me."

Honda hit his blond friend over the head with his stick before continuing, drawing arrows pointing at three sides of the circle. "We'll each look for an opening on the sides and back. If you find one, go right in."

"But if we all find a way in, won't that split us up?" Anzu asked.

"Splitting up will increase our chances of finding him." Honda pointed out. "If we stayed together, it would only make us one big target."

"So, what? We're going to be three small defenseless targets instead?"

Jonouchi placed his hands on Anzu's shoulders. "Look, I know this doesn't seem like the best plan, but he's right. We all hope it won't happen, but if one of use gets caught, there'll be two more of us still lookin' for 'em."

"But-"

"Trust us, Anzu."

Anzu lowered her head. She knew that this was a bad idea, but it was obvious that they wouldn't listen to reason. What was smart about going into the enemy's hideout alone? It was like a knight charging into the dragon's lair without a sword or shield. It was foolish. And most of all, she didn't want to lose anymore of her friends. What if she did find Grandpa, maybe even Yugi, only to find Jonouchi and Honda bleeding on the floor, shot by Pegasus' men. There had to be another way, right? There was always another option. But none came to mind. Or at least, none that Honda and Jonouchi would approve of.

She gently pushed Jonouchi's hands off of her shoulders and stormed towards the mansion. "Let's just get this over with!"

* * *

Bakura stumbled as he tried to turn around to look at his attacker. Did one of the security guards find them? Maybe they had even used the same knife that they had taken away from him. Every step made the pain intensify as blood began to create a red puddle at his feet. His vision began to flicker, and when he finally faced the one who had stabbed him, he could only see a blur of colors. He blinked and everything began to come back into focus. The Millennium Rod had been unsheathed, and now the dagger was red with Bakura's blood. His assailant walked towards him and grabbed Bakura by the hair, his tongue slipping out of his mouth.

"How does it feel, Bakura?" Marik asked. But it wasn't Marik. Something was different now. All innocence was gone, leaving behind only pure darkness. Marik let out a small chuckle as he held up the blade and plunged it into Bakura's eye. He let go as the white haired boy covered his face, red liquid seeping through his fingers and running down his face.

Bakura talked through clenched teeth as he tried to push the pain aside. "You must be Marik's Past Life."

"That's right." He pointed at himself with a his thumb. "Don't wait for him. I plan on staying in control of his body from now on."

Bakura tried to laugh, but instead he coughed out blood. "I didn't like him anyway." He glanced at Yugi. "Did you come out to finish him off yourself?"

"No." Marik walked towards the boy and knelt down beside him.

Yugi's vision had cleared enough for him to know that it was Marik, and that something was different about him. Something bad. He tried push himself up, but his arms felt like all of the bones had been removed, leaving him with useless limbs. After some effort, he managed to lift himself off the ground by a few inches, but Marik grabbed his hair, giving him the same treatment as Bakura just moments ago, and pushed him back down, slamming the boy's head against the stone floor in the process. Everything in front of Yugi began to spin. A whirlpool of muddled colors and shapes.

"It's no fun killing someone who is already half dead. Right now he is a calf, growing and growing before he is slaughtered." He turned his head, looking at Bakura with wide eyes as he licked his lips. "It is unfortunate that I have to wait. But you will help me pass the time until then."

Normally Bakura would be able to dodge any attack and end the fight with a knife in his opponent's stomach, but the wound in his back and his missing eye slowed his movements when he tried to avoid Marik's hand that reached for his throat, and he soon found himself pinned against the wall as the Egyptian's fingers squeezed. When he tried to kick Marik and pry his hand away, it only made his attacker laugh, which annoyed Bakura more than anything.

"Squirm, Bakura." With his other hand, Marik pressed the Millennium Rod against Bakura's neck, letting it slide against his fair skin and create a swallow cut. "Your struggle only fills me with more pleasure."

Bakura stopped trying to escape Marik's clutches and stood perfectly still, making Marik raise an eyebrow in confusion, and then the wounded boy threw his head back and laughed. Now it was Marik's turn to feel annoyed.

Bakura held up his hand, as if he were holding an invisible ball. "I don't think you know who you are dealing with."

Marik knew what was happening and jumped back, just barely avoiding being cut in half by a long cutlass. The one holding the lethal weapon was a man - if you could even call him one - whose shriveled skin was a dark blue color. One of his eyes was a slit, the pupil rolled back into his head, while the other remained wide open, as if he didn't have lids for it anymore. His teeth were bared, and his jaw looked broken. The creature held up his sword, ready to attack again when commanded. But instead of being frightened by the Monster's appearance, Marik chuckled before turning on his heel and he began to walk away from the creature and its owner.

Bakura crossed his arms, causing more pain to shoot through his spine. "Are you afraid of facing my Earl of Demise?"

Marik turned his head towards him, and the grin on his deranged face made Bakura flinch. "If I attack you now with my Monsters, I know you won't survive. I don't want you to die just yet. I'll wait until I can make you suffer the ultimate pain and fill the night with your screams."

Bakura wanted to throw an insult or a smart remark at him, to have the last word, but all he could do was watch as Marik made his way to Yugi. Or at least, he would have if Yugi had still been there. Marik looked at the floor where Yugi had been only moments ago and let out a growl. While they had been busy, Yugi had somehow found the strength to make his escape.

Marik ran off to find the boy, and as he did, Bakura clenched his fist, making his Monster go back to its own world. He let silence fill the room before he punched the wall. He had wanted to attack, to watch Marik's blood flow, but he had been right. Bakura would have surely been defeated. Normally he would have not cared and laughed as Marik wiped him off the face of the earth, making sure to destroy his enemy along with him, but he had to live. He couldn't end the Pharaoh's life if he was dead. But telling himself this didn't fix his shattered pride. He felt disgusted with himself, like a mongrel who limped away with his tail between his legs as the other dog walked off with the bone. Hatred filled his entire being, numbing the pain.

He tried to walk to the open doorway, hoping to find Yugi and kill him before Marik, but then the world seemed to shift around him and he began to lose his footing. Had he lost too much blood? Or had he used up what little energy he had had left to summon his Monster? He felt his legs give out from under him and felt something warm and sticky travel up his throat. Bakura coughed and blood poured out of his mouth, which hit the stone floor and created a red puddle. Realization struck him. Marik must have hit a vital organ.

Bakura collapsed on the floor and blinked, in an attempt to clear his vision as everything around him became muddled. He let out a small chuckle, allowing more blood to escape his body. He had failed again. Oh well.

The dying boy raised a hand at the open door where the source of his hatred had made his escape. "Just you wait, Pharaoh." He smiled, his teeth, lips, and chin now crimson. "I'll k-" He tried to finish, but the words refused to come out. It was difficult enough just to breathe, which sounded more like wheezing now.

He didn't remember closing his eyes, but everything around him suddenly went black.

* * *

Ishizu stepped out of the room she had just finished searching and looked both ways to make sure the coast was clear before she sped off to continue looking for Rishid. She turned a corner and stopped, almost running right into a security guard. Ishizu prepared herself for a fight, but instead of grabbing his gun, he simply stared at her with unblinking eyes before walking in the opposite direction. Ishizu watched him leave. Had Marik used the power of the Millennium Rod on that man? But he had told her once before that he would never use it, because he didn't believe in anyone being in control of another's fate; the way that the Pharaoh's existence controlled his. The fact that he had used it . . .

A low moan made her gasp as she quickly turned around. Leaning against the wall, a trail of drying blood traveling down his head, was Rishid. She quickly ran to her brother's side and put his arm around her shoulders to support him up.

"Are you all right?" She asked. "Who did this to you?" It didn't look like a bullet wound, and she doubted that the guards here would have used any other weapon.

"I," He groaned. "I think it was Marik."

"Marik?" Realization washed over her and she covered her mouth. "I left him with the Pharaoh."

She silently cursed herself. Why had she agreed to leave the Pharaoh when he was so helpless? No, she knew why. She had hoped that she could trust her brother. That leaving him with his enemy would be a test that he would pass, and she would return to find him fulfilling his duties as a Tomb Keeper. It was wishful thinking, and now the Pharaoh might die because of her foolishness. She hung her head in shame and instinctually placed the tips of her fingers on the Millennium Tauk. She had relied on it for so long that she had forgotten what it felt like to make the wrong choice.

"Was there a boy with white hair with him?" Rishid asked.

"Yes, there was."

"We have to hurry. If Marik doesn't kill the Pharaoh, that boy will."


	8. Chapter 8

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Explicit Gore

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/14/2015**

 _1st draft with little to no editing._

* * *

Yugi stumbled through the hallway, his head spinning as he felt like the world was swaying underneath his feet. It was obvious that he needed to rest, but doing so would mean his demise. It wouldn't take long for Marik to catch up with him, so he needed to either find a way out or a place to hide. But so far all of the doors he came across were locked.

 _"Let me help."_ His other self said, and a moment later one of the doors creaked open.

Yugi wasn't sure how he had accomplished it, but he was too lightheaded to ask questions. And besides, his throat was still hoarse from the poison, which hurt even when he breathed too hard.

Somehow he managed to reach the now open door and walk into what looked like a lab room before finally collapsing, his legs unable to carry his weight any longer. And as he lay there on the cold tile floor, he heard the door close and lock behind him. How was his other self doing this?

 _"Don't thank me."_ The other Yugi said before a fluffy brown creature with large eyes and clawed hands appeared in front of the young boy's face.

He nodded, unable to say his thanks, and the small Monster replied with the same gesture before it disappeared from sight. Yugi would have acted surprised by this strange occurrence if his insides weren't burning.

 _"You can't stay there."_

"I know." Yugi managed to croak out before attempting to get back on his feet.

The door being locked didn't mean that he was safe. He had to find a place to rest until he had the strength to escape. With much effort, Yugi used his shaking arms to push himself up and he leaned against a counter with surgical instruments on it for support. Now where could he hide?

The door was blown off its hinges, narrowly missing Yugi as it flew past, and he stared at the creature that stood where the door had been moments before. It was a humanoid with pitch black skin and wearing purple and yellow armor with ax blades on the sides of its helmet and bracers that allowed it to wield six sword-like weapons. It disappeared before Yugi could fully register what was going on and a tall figure came into view: Marik.

"There you are, Pharaoh."

Marik shorted the distance between him and his target. Yugi tried to back away but stumbled, giving his attacker time to grab the front of his shirt, lifting him up and onto the table, almost knocking over the tray of surgical tools in the process. Marik glanced at the silver instruments and grinned as he reached for a knife with his free hand, holding it up for Yugi to see; wanting him to know exactly what was going to happen to him, and that he was powerless to stop it.

* * *

"You rang?" Ryuji asked in a mocking tone as he entered the room.

Pegasus frowned at the boy's attitude, feeling tempted to end the boy's life right where he stood. But he couldn't. Not yet, anyway. Not until they got rid of the little problem that had just arisen.

"It seems that we have some unwelcome guests." Pegasus said, cutting right to the chase as he grabbed a remote from the table.

He pressed a button and an image appeared on the large screen in front of them. The image of three teenagers trying to hide a short ways away from the mansion, unknowing that there were hidden cameras in the trees. It looked like they were getting ready to move from their spot, and Pegasus knew where they were heading next.

"Grab Yugi's grandpa and bring him here." Pegasus told Ryuji.

"Why?"

Pegasus wished that people didn't keep questioning him. Couldn't they just obey orders? "We're going to give them a welcoming party."

"Why don't we just kill them?" Ryuji asked, irritated. "It's obvious that Yugi isn't with them."

"That's not how I work, Ryuji boy." He sat down and crossed his legs. "After you bring the old man, invite our uninvited guests inside. I don't want them barging in and breaking my home in the process."

Ryuji smirked and leaned against the wall as he placed his hands on his hips. "Whatever you say. But don't be surprised if I end of bringing them in body bags."

Pegasus chuckled at this and flicked his wrist.

Fingers wrapped around Ryuji's throat and he heard an exaggerated laugh that should have sounded ridiculous but was terrifying. He tried to pry himself free, but then he felt the Monster's body wrap around him like a python before a cartoon face came into view, which was smiling at him with crossed eyes.

"Did you know that cartoons can't be injured?" Pegasus asked. "They can be stabbed and shot but will never even draw blood." He shrugged. "And it is unfortunate, but they seem to have a nasty habit of assuming that everyone is indestructible."

The Monster laughed and twisted its long body, throwing Ryuji to the floor while keeping its hands tightly wrapped around his throat. Its smile grew as an anvil materialized and floated over Ryuji's head, who realized what was happening and tried to push the creature off of him, but it only made it tighten its grip. The anvil began to wobble in midair before it came plummeting down. It landed only an inch away from the boy's head, creating a small crater in the wooden floor. If it had landed on his face, the anvil would have surely crushed his skull.

Pegasus smiled to himself as the Monster evaporated. "Now Ryuji boy, go and show our guests the same courtesy that I just showed you."

* * *

"This is it, guys." Jonouchi faced his friends and smiled. "You all be careful in there."

"Just remember to take your own advice." Honda told him, and the blond nodded.

Anzu looked at the ground. "Do we really have to do this?"

"We already decided." Honda said.

"I know, but . . ." _But I don't want to lose anymore friends._

"Anzu,"

Honda didn't get to finish because they saw the massive doors that led into the mansion open up and someone stepped out. The three companions all flinched and jumped into a nearby bush, trying to remain silent until the mysterious figure left. Or until he got close enough for Jonouchi and Honda to grab the guy and maybe use him as a hostage.

"I know you're in there." Ryuji said. "Our security cameras have been watching you for hours."

"Security cameras?" Jonouchi grimaced. "Just how paranoid is this Pegasus guy?"

"He is an eccentric billionaire, after all." Honda pointed out.

"And a kidnapper." Anzu put in. "And it would explain why there wasn't anyone out here waiting for Yugi to arrive."

"Look," Ryuji said. "Just come out peacefully and I won't have to get you out by gunpoint."

The three teenagers all gave each other a nervous glance before they stood up, their hands behind their heads. But they lowered their arms when they saw that the boy in front of them was unarmed.

"Where's Yugi and his grandpa!" Anzu shouted, unable to hold in the question any longer.

Ryuji knew that the smart thing to do would be to pretend they also had Yugi, but he didn't care enough about Pegasus' plans to make the effort. "I don't know where this Yugi kid is that Pegasus wants to meet so badly is, but we do have the old man."

Anzu lowered her head. _Where are you Yugi?_

"Where is he?" Honda asked, holding up his fist. It would be a piece of cake for him and Jonouchi to overpower him, forcing him to take them to where Yugi's grandfather was.

"This way." He said before walking back the way he came. "And don't try anything. Pegasus has ordered his men to shoot you on sight if you cause any trouble."

Yugi's friends stayed rooted to the spot for a moment before forming a huddle.

"What do you think, guys?" Anzu whispered.

"I say we follow him." Honda said.

"What if it's a trap?"

"Even if it is, it'll get us into the mansion. And if what he said is true, we haven't got much of a choice."

"And we could always grab him and use the guy as a bargainin' chip." Jonouchi pointed out.

"Hey." Ryuji called out from the mansion's entrance. "Are you coming?"

Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu all nodded in unison, letting each other know that they were in agreement, and then they straightened up and faced Ryuji, who was watching them impatiently.

"Yeah." Honda said as they walked toward him. "We're coming."

* * *

With bandages as rope, Yugi was tied to a chair and waited helplessly as Marik gathered all of the tools he needed. He had tried to get out of his restraints, but the bandages were too tight and he didn't have the strength. Where was the other him? Why didn't he ask a Monster like the small hairy one who had helped him get into the room to come and help him out? But of course, it looked like Marik had Monsters of his own. Maybe his other self didn't have any that were powerful enough. Yugi could only guess.

As Yugi wondered this, the other him fought off the images that were rushing into his mind. He had been ready to summon a Monster to attack Marik when he felt like a vice was crushing his head and he saw what he knew was his past. Something about what was happening now seemed so familiar, and something deep within him said that it was better not to remember. But it didn't give him much of a choice. He placed his hand over his face as he saw a torch lit room. He grimaced at the memory of laying on a stone slab, his limbs bound with linen that was used for mummification. As he had tried to escape, someone had stood over him, placing a cold knife against the left side of his body. And then after that . . .

 _"Yugi!"_ He had to stop Marik. Even though the past was still a haze, he knew that what was happening now had transpired three thousand years ago, and that he had to stop it.

The other Yugi began to raise his hand, getting ready to summon the Dark Magician - one of his most powerful Monsters - when fingers dug into his shoulder and spun him around, causing him to face a grin that ignored the blood that flowed out of it and an eye socket that at first looked like it was empty until he saw that there were some remnants of the eyeball still instead.

Bakura tightened his grip. "We finally meet again, Pharaoh."

* * *

Yugi's friends tried to stick as close together as possible as Ryuji led them further into the mansion, past expensive sculptures and paintings that seemed to stare them down, as if saying that they were privileged to even being able to look at them. Everything about the place screamed 'untouchable'. Especially to them, who could barely afford buying lunch at Burger World.

As they walked, Ryuji stopped and looked down the hall to his right, where one of Pegasus' men was leading Yugi's grandfather away to be taken to the room where he and their new captives were heading. Ryuji knew that he was told to guide Yugi's wannabe rescuers to Pegasus, but he couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Stay here." Ryuji ordered. "And don't try anything. We've got cameras all over the place."

"I guess we can't draw mustaches on the paintings, then." Jonouchi said.

Anzu glared at him as Ryuji walked off. "Are you trying to get us in trouble?"

"Just tryin' ta lightin' the mood."

When Honda was sure that their guide was out of earshot, he motioned his friends over. "While he's gone, let's come up with a plan for when we meet this Pegasus guy."

Ryuji turned his head and saw the three teenagers in a huddle, whispering to each other. Not that he cared. There was only one thing on his mind.

When he reached the guard and their captive, Ryuji said, "Change of plans. I was ordered to take the old man while you take them." He pointed at Yugi's friends, who were still forming a plan.

The guard gave him a suspicious glare. "Pegasus didn't tell me about this."

"That's because he ordered me to tell you."

The tall man smirked before pulling out his gun from the inside of his jacket. "Nice try, kid. We all know that you hate this guy. And Pegasus said to off you if you tried anything like this."

Ryuji prepared himself, getting ready to wrestle the gun out of the man's hand. But then he stood there in shock when Yugi's grandfather rammed himself into the guard, causing the man to temporarily loose his footing. Instead of wasting this opportunity, Ryuji grabbed the man's arm and rammed the elbow against his knee. He felt the bone break and heard a soft crunch before the guard hollered in pain and grabbed his broken arm as he fell to the ground.

The black haired boy reached down and grabbed the gun before placing the muzzle against the adult's temple. The guard opened his mouth to either beg for his life or to throw a curse at him, but was unable to when Ryuji pulled the trigger. The bullet penetrated his skin and flesh, which caused the faint smell of burnt flesh, before going through the skull and traveled through the brain before blasting out of the man on the other side of his head, leaving a large exit wound in its wake. Ryuji grimaced at the blood and brain matter that was spilling onto the carpet and stood up straight.

"This doesn't change anything, old man." Ryuji told Mr. Mutou. "I could have stopped him on my own."

"I don't doubt that." Yugi's grandfather looked away from the sickening scene. "What are you planning to do now?"

Ryuji held up the gun, pointing it at Mr. Mutou's head. "I think you already know."

* * *

"What is taking them so long?" Pegasus asked himself. They should have arrived by now.

With an exasperated sigh, Pegasus picked up the remote, turned on the TV screen, and watched the live feed from his security cameras. He scanned the individual rooms and paused on Yugi's friends. Why were they left alone in the middle of the hallway? But that was soon forgotten. He quickly stood up, causing his chair to fall onto its side. There, laying on the floor, were two bodies.

Pegasus raced over to his door and opened it, making the man who was guarding it jump. "Send someone to bring in Yugi's friends! And tell everyone else to look for Ryuji. He must be captured immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

The man grabbed his radio and began relaying the information as Pegasus went back into the room and closed the door, leaning against it. Everything that could go wrong had happened. Why couldn't things run smoothly so that he could succeed in his plans to use the Pharaoh's power to bring his dead wife back? With his one eye he looked at the portrait of the woman with long blond hair. Would he ever get her back?

There was a knock at the door and he groaned before answering it. "What is it now?"

"Pegasus." One of his men bowed slightly. "We've just heard news that Seto Kaiba has the Pharaoh."

This brightened up Pegasus' mood quite considerably. "Well then, send out four men to pick him up. If he refuses to come," He paused for a moment, "tell him that we have his friends."

"Yes, Pegasus." The man bowed again before leaving.

Pegasus walked over to his bottle of wine and poured himself a drink. While it was annoying that Ryuji had killed Yugi's relative, at least he had some leftover captives now.

* * *

"What's going on?" The Pharaoh asked as he and Bakura were engulfed by a purple void.

"You failed, Pharaoh." Bakura said before coughing out more blood. "We both did."

"What are you talking about? And where's Yugi?!"

"You don't remember," he wiped his chin with the back of his hand and looked amused at the red liquid that now covered it, "but we have gone through this more times than I can count."

"Explain."

Bakura smirked and stood there, as if he were waiting for something. The Pharaoh was just about to demand an answer to his strange behavior when an intense pain struck his left upper arm. He clenched his teeth until his jaw felt like it had locked in place as he grabbed the throbbing area. It felt wet. When he removed his hand from his arm, which was now covered with his blood, he saw a long gash that was opening up on its own, trying to expose what was hidden underneath the skin.

Bakura chuckled. "It looks like Marik has begun working on Yugi."

"Bakura!" The Pharaoh reached out to grab him by the front of his shirt, but his hand went right through, as if Bakura were made out of mist.

Another jolt of pain hit his arm and he groaned. It felt as if something cold and hard was plunging into his open wound. What was Marik doing to Yugi? And how could he stop it?

"It's time." Bakura said as his body began to fade. "Maybe I'll be able to kill you next time."

"What-?" The Pharaoh began to feel lightheaded, and when he looked down, he saw that he too was disappearing. "What's going on?"

Only the top half of Bakura was left, and more of him was vanishing with each passing second. "Our souls are leaving this world. After all, we can't reincarnate and continue this game otherwise."

"What game?"

"There's no point in explaining." Now Bakura was just a head, and his smile widened as half of it disappeared. "When this is over, you won't remember any of this."

"Bakura!"

The white haired boy laughed. "Now it is time for the next game to begin. And next time, Pharaoh, I will win."

* * *

Marik checked the tourniquet to make sure that it was still tight enough, wondering if it would start to loosen from being soaked through with blood. It wouldn't do for Yugi to bleed to death before he was done with him. Once Marik was satisfied, he continued his work. The scissors slipped into the incision he had made in the boy's arm, which made his victim flinch as he tried to protest through the gag in his mouth. Marik stopped to watch him squirm in his seat. The terror in the boy's purple eyes made Marik lick his top lip as he waited, remaining still to make Yugi hope that it was over. When Yugi stopped trying to escape, Marik dug in, cutting into the flesh and muscle. Yugi sounded like a frightened animal being skinned alive, which only made Marik want to hurt him even more. More pain; more screams; more pleasure.

It didn't take long for him to find Yugi's humerus. When he did, Marik rubbed his thumb against it, wondering if Yugi could feel it. But when he looked at him, he saw that his victim had blacked out, which made him let out a frustrated grunt. It wasn't fun anymore if Yugi didn't know what was happening to him. Why did the Pharaoh have to come back in such a weak body that couldn't take it? Such a disappointment.

His pleasure was soon replaced with annoyance and he glared at Yugi as he grabbed his Millennium Rod, the blade covered with Bakura's dry blood. "I was expecting more from you, Pharaoh." Marik smiled. "After I'm done with you, I will just have to find your friends and continue with them."

When Yugi didn't respond, Marik grabbed the boy's hair and pulled his head up. He was truly unconscious. Now his annoyance was turning into anger, almost all memory of their session forgotten. They had gone through this so many times through these past three thousand years, and the Pharaoh always found a way to dampen his fun.

His manic smile was completely gone now as he pressed the tip of the blade against Yugi's chest, ready to thrust it into the boy's heart, and waited for something to stop him. Something always did. That was the nature of this game they were forced to play. But no one came to Yugi's rescue. Was it going to be different this time? Impossible. He tightened the muscles in his arm, preparing to drive the blade through Yugi with all his strength, but dropped the Rod when a dark sphere hit his body like a bullet. Blood, flesh, and small pieces of burnt intestines flew across the room, landing on the floor, walls, and tables as the Dark Magician flew to his master. He looked at the boy with a deep sadness as he used his powers to remove the bindings. This was the moment when he would be consumed by the shadows, loosing his mind in the process. Once Yugi was free, the Dark Magician sent himself back to the home of Monsters.

Once the Dark Magician had vanished, Yugi's glazed eyes opened and stood up before walking steadily towards the open doorway. As he did, a black vortex appeared, releasing a horde of bloodthirsty Monsters.


	9. Chapter 9

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Blood and Gore

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 10/30/2015**

 _1st draft with little to no editing._

 _Sorry that this is so short. I was going to wait until more scenes were added, but I don't know how long that would take so I decided to upload what I have so far._

* * *

When Ishizu and Rishid ran back to the room where Yugi had been kept, they found that the boy they were supposed to protect was gone, and in his place was Bakura, who was laying in a pool of his own blood. Ishizu tried to cover her nose as a smell similar to copper tried to fill her nostrils. Guilt washed over her once more as Rishid walked over to the body. If only she hadn't been so naïve. If only she had refused to leave the Pharaoh. Then maybe . . .

Rishid flipped Bakura onto his back and grimaced at the sight, forcing himself to close the boy's remaining eye. He had to admit that he did hate Bakura when they had first met, and he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for him, but no one deserved such a fate as this.

"Pharaoh!"

Rishid turned his head and saw Yugi in the doorway, walking down the long hallway. "Wait!" He called out when Ishizu ran after the boy.

But she didn't listen, wanting to make up for the mistake she had made. This time she would personally protect him, never leaving his side.

When Ishizu reached him, she touched his shoulder, which caused him to stop. "My Pharaoh, are you alright? What happened when I-"

Ishizu looked down and saw a blade protruding through her stomach before she coughed out blood. Behind her, the Monster known as Gilford gripped the hilt of his weapon and sent a stream of electricity through the metal of the blade, which traveled into Ishizu. First her insides were roasted, and then it worked its way to the surface and turned her tanned skin to black, which began to peel off, revealing the red flesh underneath.

Rishid watched the Monster pull his sword out of her, allowing the burnt body to crumple to the floor, and he fell to his knees, staring at the charred corpse before looking at Yugi, who slowly turned to face him. The boy's face was a blank slate, void of all emotion, and his eyes remained wide open. And yet there were tears running down his cheeks. Was Yugi conscious of what was going on around him, but was powerless to stop it? Maybe he could reach him and help Yugi stop this madness.

Blood escaped Rishid's mouth and he tried to breathe, though it was proving difficult with the long blade that had pierced through the back of his neck and had broken through to the front. Rishid tried to speak, to use his last few moments to break the curse that was controlling Yugi, but was unable to as the Celtic Guardian pulled on his sword sharply to the left, slashing it out of Rishid's neck and nearly decapitating the Tomb Keeper.

As the Monster walked down the hall, blood dripping from his sword, Yugi walked over to Rishid and stared down at his rolled back eyes and the pitiful piece of skin that barely kept his head attached to the rest of his body. The puddle of blood grew in size and surrounded Yugi's sneakers before he turned around and followed his Monsters.

* * *

Kaiba felt himself growing impatient. If his men didn't dispose of the intruders before the potential buyers arrived . . .

The beeping from his phone broke his train of thought and he pressed the button. "What is it?"

"Mr. Kaiba!" It was one of his guards, and he sounded frantic. "Mr. Kai-!"

There was a loud growl, like that of a wild animal, and the man screamed before the sound of static took over.

"What's going on? Answer me!" But there was no answer. Did the intruders break into the security room?

Kaiba bolted out of his deceased stepfather's chair and burst out of the room. The lower half of a bloody corpse lay on the floor in front of him, a trail of crimson paw prints indicating that whatever had killed him went down the hall to the left; the same direction that Kaiba needed to go in order to reach the security room.

Not letting his fear get the best of him, Kaiba ran down the hall and made his way towards his destination. As he did, Kaiba asked himself what could have killed that man. Why was there only half of his body? And what had created those paw prints? No answers came to mind and before he knew it, he was facing the metal door. Kaiba reached for the extra key that was in his pocket when he heard something. He turned his head towards the sound and saw a large wolf, eyes black and soulless, and a muzzle and fangs that were dripping with blood. The two of them stared at each other, like a deadly staring contest - the first one to blink will never open their eyes again - until the wolf threw back his head and howled at the ceiling. When he did, Kaiba snapped himself out of the shock that had frozen his body and he hurriedly began unlocking the door. The wolf's ears twitched when he heard the noise and growled before running straight at Kaiba.

The door opened and Kaiba rushed inside, closing it behind him. A moment later the wolf rammed into it with a loud thud. The animal let out a low whimper, making Kaiba wonder if he had hurt himself when he collided with the door, and then all was silent. Kaiba allowed himself to let out a sigh of relief. What was a wolf doing here? Did the intruders bring it? But why?

Kaiba flipped up the light switch but the room remained pitch black. After grunting in frustration, he began carefully making his way further into the room. Hopefully the monitors were simply turned off and still worked.

A split second too late, Kaiba realized that he had stepped on a slippery surface and he felt himself falling until he hit the hard ground, which was covered with a warm and sticky liquid. When he tried to push himself up, his fingertips touched a cold object and he reached for it. It was one of his men's flashlights. He could even feel the Kaiba Corp logo engraved on it. Kaiba knew what he was going to see before turning it on: more blood.

Kaiba grimaced at the sight and the strong smell as he searched his surroundings. Here and there, he saw hunks of flesh scattered about, making it impossible to know who they belonged to. Not that he cared. All that mattered now was the monitors; if they still worked.

Making sure not to slip again, Kaiba walked over to the blank screens and sat down before switching them on. At first they merely flickered gray static before fading to black, but after a few seconds they came to life. What Kaiba saw could only be described as a slaughterhouse. Various body parts and flesh lay throughout the building, their blood either creating a pool around them or spattered on the walls. He glanced at the monitor for the room that the Pharaoh was kept it, and he saw the lifeless form of one of the prisoners that they had left for the Chopman. Who had done all this? And where was the Pharaoh? Kaiba saw something on one of the screens, and what he saw made him bolt up and stare at it with wide eyes. There was Yugi, walking at a slow pace down one of the hallways. And behind him was an army of creatures.

"What is this?"

More movement appeared on one of the screens, which revealed the hallway that was but a few feet away from the previous one.

"Mokuba."

Kaiba's little brother saw the carnage in front of him and covered his mouth as he forced himself to keep going. In a few more minutes he would run into Yugi and the army of monsters.

Kaiba left the safety of the security office and ran in the direction of Mokuba's location, hoping that he would make it in time.


	10. Chapter 10

**This Chapter Contains . . .**

Violence: Death

Language: None

Drugs: None

Nudity: None

Sexual Content: None

* * *

 **Edit Update: 11/14/2015**

 _1st draft with little to no editing._

 _Sorry that this chapter is super short. I was gonna wait until it was longer, but it's been a while since I've posted anything so I decided to upload what I have so far._

* * *

Ryuji had memorized the layout of the mansion fairly well, so he knew where the nearest window was. The only problem was dodging all of Pegasus' men, who were all on high alert and had their guns drawn. But he was able to evade capture by taking his time, hiding around the corners and listening for voices and footsteps. Luckily the only one who could watch his movements from the security cameras was Pegasus himself, who was probably too busy dealing with the intruders. Or maybe he trusted his men enough to let them find him themselves. Either way, Ryuji was grateful that they didn't know his current location. Otherwise he would probably have to shoot his way out, and he only had a limited amount of bullets. Four to be exact. Though there was a way to get more.

When Ryuji looked around the corner, he saw a lone guard, who was looking about nervously. Perfect. The guard began walking in the opposite direction and Ryuji followed, holding his breath so that there would be no sound. As he got closer, Ryuji undid his necklace and wrapped the ends around his hands. Now he was within striking distance. Not wanting to wait too long and waste his chance, Ryuji lifted the necklace up and over the guard's head before putting it around the man's neck. As the guard tried to put his fingers between his neck and the object that was strangling him, Ryuji tightened it, using all of his strength. The faster the guard died the better.

It took a minute, maybe two, but the man's body finally began to grow limp until he stopped moving entirely. Not wanting to take any chances, Ryuji grabbed the guard's head and did a sharp twist, snapping his neck. There was no doubt now that the man was dead. Ryuji grabbed the corpse's gun and checked to see how many bullets it had. All six were there. Made sense, considering the fact that they very rarely needed them. Now he had a higher chance of getting out. If they saw him now, he could kill up to ten of them. But Pegasus had more men than that, so it would be best if he continued to stay out of sight.

Ryuji straightened up and froze when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps come up behind him. Someone had snuck up while he had been grabbing the gun.

He silently cursed as he turned around, his hands in the air. If he had tried to shoot whoever was behind him, it wouldn't have ended in his favor. Even if he was able to shoot them first, with his back facing them, he didn't know if there was more than one standing there. When Ryuji faced the man, he was caught off guard by their appearance. While the man was wearing a suit, it wasn't the same simple black one that all of Pegasus' men wore. Instead, it was a light shade of purple. But that wasn't what Ryuji found so peculiar. The stranger's hair was long, reaching his knees, and was light blue; and his eyes were two different colors: Turquoise and yellow. The good news was that he seemed unarmed.

As Ryuji began to lower his arms, the man held out his hand as he gave him a slight smile. Before he could ask what he was doing, Ryuji felt something cold in his throat, as if an anaconda that was made out of icy air was slithering inside of it. It somehow blocked his airways and he began choking as Ryuji felt himself getting dizzy, his entire body growing cold before falling to his knees. When he looked up, he saw the man flick his wrist and everything went black.

Dartz watched Ryuji's soul escape from its vessel. "I am sorry, my friend." He said as the soul was absorbed into his necklace - which had a symbol that resembled a star - though his face showed no remorse. "But I don't want any survivors."

Raphael - a muscled man with spiky blond hair - walked up to Dartz and dropped to one knee. "Everyone is inside the building."

Dartz turned around to face his henchman, giving him a polite smile as he walked past him. "You know what must be done." When he was two feet away, he began to dissolve and disappeared.


	11. Important News

As you've probably already seen, this fanfic is a mess. But of course, all 1st drafts are.

And that's why I'm going to start only uploading chapters when they're at least 90% done, which means that there aren't going to be any new chapters for a while. And all of the currently uploaded chapters will be replaced once their newer counterparts are written.

I am sorry that you guys have to wait even more, but by doing this you will be getting a better story. I will be outlining the entire fanfic, carefully reading the manga to make sure I write the characters accurately, and I will upload the chapters when I can post them on a weekly - if not daily - basis.

Thank you for your patience. I will try my hardest to write a story that is worth reading.

God bless.


	12. News

I had originally planned to replace the current chapters with updated versions, but I now know that that was a stupid idea. Not only will it be confusing for me, but it will also be confusing for a lot of you guys. So instead, I am going to be deleting this story once the final draft for it is finished so that I can post the new version in its place.

I know this sucks, but it'll end with things being a lot more organized.


End file.
